Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Building Safety Fund

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many applications to the building safety fund have been (a) submitted and (b) successful by constituency.

Lee Rowley: The department publishes a range of statistics regarding building safety which can be accessed here. We note the honourable Member’s interest in further disaggregation of this data and will consider it for future data updates and releases.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Ground Transport

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2023 to Question 4980, which ministers used the vehicle provided under the terms of the Cabinet Office contract originally agreed with Ground Transport Ltd on 13 November 2020 (reference CCYZ20A06), novated to his Department from 14 January 2021 to 16 October 2022.

Simon Hoare: This service was available to departmental ministers. A more detailed breakdown could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Storms: Disaster Relief

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his letter of 8 January 2024 to hon. members with constituencies in England on Storm Henk Funding Support, for what reason financial support for (a) homes and (b) businesses affected by Storm Henk has been allocated by county; and if he will consider the potential merits of allocating financial support to flooded areas.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his letter of 8 January 2024 to hon. members with constituencies in England on Storm Henk Funding Support, if he will consider the potential merits of providing additional financial support for flooded (a) homes and (b) businesses in other areas affected by Storm Henk.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for what reason funding is available in some areas for only part of a flooded catchment.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his letter of 8 January 2024 to hon. members with constituencies in England on Storm Henk Funding Support, if he will reimburse payments for flood impact to local authorities that fall outside the county areas he has identified.

Simon Hoare: I extend my sympathy to all those affected by Storm Henk. I also recognise the efforts of councils and emergency responders and thank them for their ongoing work.The Secretary of State activated the Flood Recovery Framework on 6 January. For the Storm Henk Flood Recovery Framework activation, eligible areas are those upper and lower tier authority areas:Reporting over 50 internally flooded properties (any combination of households and businesses) at their Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) level; andWith properties flooded as a direct result of Storm Henk; andWith properties flooded between the dates of 2 January 2024 and 12 January 2024.Local authorities and Lead Local Flood Authorities are responsible for distributing funding to affected people. They are able to do as soon as they notify Government their area becomes eligible so the scheme can be extended. Government funding for eligible properties will be paid to local authorities retrospectively, based on the certified cost of providing relief.The activation of the Storm Henk Flood Recovery Framework will be reviewed following implementation by local authorities.

Birmingham City Council

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the independent governance review of Birmingham City Council undertaken by the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny in 2023.

Simon Hoare: This review provides further evidence in support of the decision taken in October to intervene in Birmingham City Council, appointing Commissioners with powers over certain Council functions and issuing Directions that require the Council to take specific actions to the satisfaction of Commissioners. Commissioners will ensure the improvement actions recommended by the review are appropriately incorporated into the Council’s Improvement and Recovery Plan. The review findings are broadly consistent with the lessons about local authority culture and governance we have learned from statutory and non-statutory interventions, and which informed the draft Best Value Statutory Guidance we consulted on last summer and will issue in due course.

Local Government Finance: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the funding his Department has provided to City of York Council through the local government funding settlement.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the funding provided to local authorities.

Simon Hoare: The provisional local government finance settlement for 2024-25 makes available over £64 billion, an increase in Core Spending Power of almost £4 billion or 6.5% in cash terms on 2023-24. This above-inflation increase demonstrates how the Government stands behind councils up and down the country. For City of York, this makes available a total of up to £170.9 million in 2024-25, an increase in Core Spending Power of up to 6.0% on 2023-24.The department engages with the sector regularly to understand the adequacy of funding and wider pressures, including through holding in-depth financial conversations with local authorities and regular conversations with treasurer societies. We stand ready to talk to any council that is concerned about its financial position.I refer the Hon Member to the written statement made on 18 December 2023 on the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement (HCWS148). We are seeking views on proposals for the 2024-25 Settlement via a consultation which closes on 15 January. We will consider all responses before publishing a final settlement early this year.

Housing First: County Durham

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to support Durham County Council to deliver a Housing First approach to address long term homelessness.

Felicity Buchan: The Government recognises that local authorities are best placed to make decisions on what local services they provide based on local priorities and circumstances, including designing and delivering Housing First projects where appropriate. We are investing over £2 billion over three years in tackling homelessness and rough sleeping. Funding allocated to Durham for locally led initiatives includes over £680,000 in funding directly to the Durham Unitary Authority through the Rough Sleeping Initiative 2022-25, a further just under £3.8 million as part of a Durham-led joint funding award across the North-East, over £3 million (originally allocated) to County Durham through the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme, and over £4 million through the Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme.We have also published a Mobilising Housing First toolkit to support local areas seeking to develop Housing First projects, which is available here: Housing First Pilot: national evaluation reports - GOV.UK

Freeports: Scotland

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on taking steps to support (a) Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and (b) Forth Green Freeport.

Jacob Young: Both Green Freeports are receiving significant support from UK and Scottish Governments, including access to £1 million capacity funding for each Green Freeport, dedicated expertise and advice from the Freeports Consultancy Hub and support from officials from both UK and Scottish Governments.

Department for Business and Trade

Department for Business and Trade: Ground Transport

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2023 to Question 4980 on Cabinet Office: Ground Transport, which Ministers have used vehicles provided under the terms of the Cabinet Office contract originally agreed with Ground Transport Ltd on 13 November 2020, reference CCYZ20A06, since that contract was novated to her Department on 16 October 2022.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2023 to Question 4980 on Cabinet Office: Ground Transport, what the maximum value was of the agreement to extend until June 2024 the Cabinet Office contract originally agreed with Ground Transport Ltd on 13 November 2020 (reference CCYZ20A06), and novated to her Department on 16 October 202;, and which minister will use the vehicle provided under that contract in the period up to June 2024.

Greg Hands: The contract and associated details for travel can be found on Contracts Finder; it will be updated in due course to reflect the latest arrangements.

Performing Arts: Exports

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many touring (a) artists and (b) musicians sought advice from the Export Support Service in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

Greg Hands: Our Export Support Service (ESS) answers practical exports related questions, including support for touring professionals. Across the previous two years, the ESS provided guidance to 46 touring artists and musicians in 2022, and 13 in 2023. Exporters, including touring artists and musicians can continue to access ESS support through great.gov.uk.

Arms Trade: Israel

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on the applicability of Criterion 2(c) of the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria in reference to potential strategic export licenses to Israel.

Greg Hands: The Government continues to monitor closely the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which includes Criterion 2(c) - the provision not to grant a licence if it is determined there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.Extant licences are kept under careful review and the Business and Trade Secretary has the power to suspend, revoke or amend extant licences as required.

Agriculture: Manufacturing Industries

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to (a) encourage investment to help develop the UK's capacity to manufacture advanced agrochemicals at scale and (b) help support agrochemical exports.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) promotes the UK advanced agrochemical investment offer globally, whilst supporting existing investors to succeed and expand in the UK. DBT helps advanced agrochemical businesses to grow their business overseas by providing guidance and support, removing barriers and helping them to secure benefits generated by new free trade agreements. This includes Syngenta for example, who operate a factory in the Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency.

Department for Business and Trade: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many government procurement cards were held by people to make purchases against her Department’s budget as of (a) 31 March 2023 and (b) 31 December 2023.

Greg Hands: The number of Government Procurement Cards (GPC) held by staff is as follows: DateNumber of GPCs31 March 2023*23031 December 2023277 *The figure for 31 March 2023 represents the number of cardholders within the former Department for International Trade only.

Floods: Business

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has plans to compensate businesses that have experienced significant disruption to trading as a result of flooding.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Business Recovery Grant (BRG), part of the Flooding Framework, provides up to £2500 per affected business premises to small and medium sized businesses in the immediate aftermath of flooding to help them get back on their feet.This support was provided in October 2023 in response to Storm Babet and those affected by Storm Henk interested in the BRG should contact their Local Authority for details.Businesses significantly affected by recent flooding could also be eligible for business rates relief via schemes delivered by DLUHC and via DEFRA schemes.

Post Office: Procurement

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of procurement processes used at The Post Office.

Kevin Hollinrake: As a public sector organisation Post Office is bound by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. In addition, as set out in the Shareholder Relationship Framework Document published by Government in 2020, Post Office’s Chief Executive Officer is expected to observe the principles set out by HM Treasury in Managing Public Money.Post Office’s procurement policy is reviewed regularly by the Post Office Board and the Board scrutinises procurements that are high-value or novel and/or contentious.The Government has mechanisms in place to maintain oversight of the Post Office and regularly monitors Post Office's financial performance, strategy and corporate governance. In addition, as per the Articles of Association Post Office requires the prior written consent of the Shareholder for any undertaking to incur any expenditure in excess of £50 million.

Post Office

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of bringing The Post Office under public ownership.

Kevin Hollinrake: Post Office Limited is under public ownership.

Horizon IT System

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with the Board of the Post Office Ltd on how funds wrongly claimed back from sub postmasters using Horizon software were used.

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with the Board of the Post Office Ltd on the urgent return of funds wrongly claimed from sub postmasters.

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with the Board of the Post Office Ltd on the level of provision for (a) repayments and (b) compensation related to Horizon.

Kevin Hollinrake: I hold meetings with the Post Office CEO on a monthly basis where we discuss the topic of Horizon compensation delivery. Postmasters who paid shortfalls which were recorded in Horizon to the Post Office are paid those amounts back in their compensation claims, as well as any other financial and personal damage which they have suffered as a consequence of the IT system. Government has made funding available for both the Horizon Shortfall Scheme and for Overturned Convictions compensation. Post Office has published its provisions for both in its annual accounts and Government has published the level of funding available on the Subsidy Transparency Database.

Post Office

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has plans to strengthen the accountability of Post Office senior managers through the Government's shareholder role.

Kevin Hollinrake: Following the Group Litigation Order court case, the Government has taken steps to strengthen the governance of the Post Office. This has included expanding the Department’s Post Office Policy team that works closely with UK Government Investments (UKGI) in advising Ministers on holding the Post Office to account.The Government has also strengthened and formalised the respective responsibilities of the Post Office, Government and UKGI through a Framework Document published in 2020. ​The Government also maintains strong oversight of the progress made on resolving issues related to Horizon and will continue to hold the Post Office to account for learning relevant lessons and making tangible changes to the organisation.The recent issue surrounding senior bonuses at Post Office highlighted a number of corporate governance issues which were the subject of the review undertaken by Simmons and Simmons and published in August 2023. ​The review made a number of important findings and recommendations, which Post Office accepted in full. The implementation of these recommendations is a priority and Government is monitoring Post Office’s progress closely.

Companies: Registration

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many (a) Limited Partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, (b) Scottish Limited Partnerships and (c) Limited Liability Partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were incorporated in each of the last ten years.

Kevin Hollinrake: (a) Limited Partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland England and WalesNorthern Ireland2023620432022854572021708322020814402019752632018141534920176457320167429620155976420145261  (b) Scottish Limited Partnerships2023630202272920215912020657201975120182,68920174,93220165,70620153,88420143,499  (c) Limited Liability Partnerships in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland England and WalesNorthern Ireland20234,9012620225,1024220215,3384820204,6184720194,9356220185,0628920178,6637220168,0256820156,78913020148,472148 The year in the table provided refers to the financial year ending year, i.e. 2023 means 2022-23 Financial Year. The data in the tables comes from the annual official statistics publication that Companies House produces: Companies register activities: statistical release 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Postal Services: Standards

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will have discussions with Royal Mail on compensating people who have experienced delays receiving mail.

Kevin Hollinrake: Royal Mail is a private business and the Government does not have a role in its commercial or operational decisions, including its policies on compensating users for postal delays.As the independent regulator of postal services, Ofcom requires Royal Mail to provide fair and reasonable remedies and redress in respect of delays to deliveries under its universal service obligation.Under Section 89 of the Postal Services Act 2000, Royal Mail is required to publish its terms and conditions, including compensation policies, for certain products and services on its website.

Horizon IT System: Compensation

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent discussions with representatives of Fujitsu on compensation for subpostmasters affected by the Horizon case.

Kevin Hollinrake: Whilst DBT Ministers have not met Fujitsu, officials in this and other Government Departments have done so. The subject of those discussions is commercially confidential.

Ministry of Defence

National Shipbuilding Office

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the National Shipbuilding Office over the last 12 months.

James Cartlidge: The size and effectiveness of the National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) is regularly reviewed to ensure delivery against its remit.The NSO has been highly effective in delivering on the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh. For evidence of effectiveness, please see the answer I gave on 8 November 2023 to Question 93.

Navy: Staff

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of the Royal Navy’s personnel are shore-based.

Dr Andrew Murrison: While deployed personnel serve around the world to counter threats, offer aid and save lives, all of our shore-based personnel also work in support of the fleet. Personnel rotate periodically through shore and sea-based posts. I am withholding the breakdown for the purpose of safeguarding operational security.Following a 2020 transformation programme, we are confident that we have the right balance of people at sea and ashore to ensure operational outputs.

Veterans: LGBT+ People

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if officials in his Department will meet representatives of Fighting with Pride to discuss the experience of LGBT+ veterans.

Dr Andrew Murrison: There is and has been extensive engagement with Fighting with Pride at official and Ministerial level. The LGBT Veterans Independent Review provided the opportunity for Defence and the Government to better understand the lived experience of LGBT veterans who served prior to 2000, including how being discharged or dismissed from the military due to their sexuality, affected their life. Defence will continue to engage with Fighting with Pride and a number of other charities and independent veterans.

Army: Staff

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were recruited to the Army in 2022-23.

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were recruited into the British Army in each of the first three quarters of 2023-24.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 January to Question 7264 from the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (Mr Healey) which shows the Basic Training Starts for British Army Officer and Other Ranks for financial year 2022-23. https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-12-18/7264  The below table shows how many Officers and Other Ranks were recruited into the British Army in Q1 & Q2 2023-24. The figures for Q3 2023-24 are not yet available. Financial yearTotal basic Training starts ActualsOfficer Basic Training Starts ActualsOther Ranks Basic Training Starts Actuals2023-24 Quarter 19601508102023-24 Quarter 22,1202701,850 Notes/caveats: These figures are for the Regular Army Only and therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Army Reserve and all other Reserves, but includes those personnel that have transferred from GURTAM to UKTAP.Basic Training Start figures only include personnel who entered Phase 1 training.2023-24 Quarter 1 includes figures from 01 April 2023 to 30 June 2023.2023-24 Quarter 2 includes figures from 01 July 2023 to 30 September 2023.Figures have been rounded to 10 for presentational purposes; numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not appear to be the sum of their parts. Army Recruitment (docx, 28.3KB)

Army: Recruitment

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total cost of the Army Recruiting contract between his Department and Capita is.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The current value of the Capita contract to March 2026 is £1.12 billion.

Nuclear Weapons: Testing

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution made by the Minister for Defence People and Families on 28 November 2023 to the debate on Nuclear Test Veterans: Medical Records, Official Report, column 245WH, when he plans to report back on the files from the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As I set out in Ministry of Defence Oral Questions on 8 January, to the hon. Member for South Shields (900886), I remain committed to reviewing the documents in the very near future where I will personally assess them and consider their release into the public domain.   I will then personally assess them and consider their release into the public domain,

Ministry of Defence: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Page 54 of his Department's annual report and accounts for 2022/23, HC1468, published on 25 July 2023, what the distance travelled on domestic flights was that resulted in the emission totals of (a) 2,460 tCO2e in 2021/22, and (b) 4,070 tCO2e in 2022/23.

James Cartlidge: During Financial Year (FY) 2021-22 the distance travelled on domestic flights was 19,123,070 km, and in FY 2022-23 the distance travelled on domestic flights was 31,311,370 km.

Air Force and Navy: Recruitment

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was for his Department to process application forms for the (a) Royal Navy and (b) Royal Air Force in each of the last five years.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2022 to Question 13042 on Armed Forces, Recruitment, how much his Department spent on the recruitment systems for the (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy in the financial year 2022-23.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 January 2024 to Question 7265 to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey).Armed Forces: Recruitment (docx, 26.6KB)

Ministry of Defence: Bullying and Harassment

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to appendix 1 of his Department's guidance entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process published in June 2021, how many incident logs recorded that the nature of the complaint involved comments about personal appearance in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to appendix 1 of his Department's guidance entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process published in June 2021, how many incident logs recorded that the nature of the complaint involved spreading gossip or making false accusations in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to appendix 1 of JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process published in June 2021, how many incident logs recorded that the nature of the complaint involved intimidation or verbal aggression in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to appendix 1 of JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process published in June 2021, how many incident logs recorded that the nature of the complaint involved being humiliated in front of their team or others in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to appendix 1 of his Department's guidance entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process published in June 2021, how many incident logs recorded that the nature of the complaint involved negative micromanagement in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to appendix 1 of his Department's guidance entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process published in June 2021, how many incident logs recorded that the nature of the complaint involved (a) the removal of job responsibilities (b) unconstructive criticism and (c) impossible expectations in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to appendix 1 of his Department's guidance entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process published in June 2021, how many incident logs recorded that the nature of the complaint involved being treated less favourable to others in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence,with reference to appendix 1 of his Department's guidance entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process published in June 2021, how many incident logs recorded that the nature of the complaint involved being (a) ignored (b) excluded or (c) marginalised in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to appendix 1 of his Department's guidance entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process published in June 2021, how many incident logs recorded that the nature of the complaint involved being undermined in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to appendix 1 of his Department's guidance entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process published in June 2021, how many incident logs recorded that the nature of the complaint involved being denied time off for personal ill health in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to appendix 1 of his Department's guidance entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process, how many incident logs recorded that the nature of the complaint involved being denied time off for family or caring responsibilities in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to appendix 1 of his Department's guidance entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process, how many incident logs recorded that the nature of the complaint involved the disclosure of personal or sensitive information to colleagues without consent in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to appendix 1 of his Department's guidance entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process, how many incident logs recorded that the nature of the complaint involved unhelpful comments about (a) mental health and (b) being off sick in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to appendix 1 of his Department's guidance entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process, how many incident logs recorded that the nature of the complaint involved the use of inappropriate language in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to appendix 1 of his Department's guidance entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process, how many incident logs recorded the nature of the complaint as something else not listed in each year since 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: This information for each of the right hon. Member's Questions could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence: Photography

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of photography services to his Department provided by external contractors was in each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: A full departmental response could only be provided at disproportionate cost as the information requested is not held centrally. The Department has in-house capability to provide photographic services for a wide range of tasks. External photograph services would only be used in exceptional circumstances where that in-house capability was not available for a specific task.

Capita: Contracts

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was for Capita to process application forms for the British Army in each of the last five years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The cost associated with processing applications is not tracked within the Capita contract therefore, this information is not held in the format requested.

Ministry of Defence: Recruitment

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on external recruitment agencies in the last 12 months.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Although examples will exist for specific roles, the Department does not, in general, make use of external recruitment consultants to fill fulltime roles and the information requested is not centrally held.

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether human remains have been recovered from the wreck of HMS Prince of Wales off the coast of Malaysia through unauthorised salvage operations.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Investigations into the illegal salvage are still ongoing, we are unable to provide a response regarding the presence of human remains until these investigations have concluded.

Navy: Guided Weapons

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Navy ships have been fitted with the Naval Strike Missile.

James Cartlidge: The Royal Navy currently has one ship, HMS Somerset, fitted with the Naval Strike Missile capability.

National Shipbuilding Office

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has plans to expand the National Shipbuilding Office.

James Cartlidge: The size and effectiveness of the National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) is regularly reviewed to ensure delivery against its remit.The NSO has been highly effective in delivering on the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh. For evidence of effectiveness, please see the answer I gave on 8 November 2023 to Question 93. Shipbuilding: Competition (docx, 28.0KB)

F-35 Aircraft: Weapons

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on integration of UK weapons onto the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

James Cartlidge: The UK Lightning Force currently operates the Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile (AMRAAM), the Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile (ASRAAM) and the Paveway 4 precision guided bomb. By the end of the decade both Meteor and SPEAR 3 will also be integrated to UK F-35s.

Wrecks: International Cooperation

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with defence partners on sovereign immunity of historic shipwrecks.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As a matter of customary international law, all naval warships, state vessels and associated artefacts are afforded protection through the principle of Sovereign Immunity. The UK is of the view that, unless expressly relinquished or abandoned by the Flag State, the Sovereign Immunity of the wreck of any Crown vessel remains in place, regardless of where the wreck in question is located, and those who lost their lives in service of our country should be left in situ and undisturbed. Discussions are ongoing with our Defence partners to ensure that current legislation provides sufficient protection for our historic wrecks.

Veterans: LGBT+ People

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of removing the cap on compensation for LGBT+ veterans.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Government has accepted the recommendations of the LGBT Veterans Independent Review including the financial award scheme. Defence continues to work at pace with experts across Government and reference other schemes, such as the Canadian scheme, to establish an appropriate scheme for the financial award, and is currently working within the £50 million limit as recommended in the report. Development of the scheme is at an early stage so the Government cannot yet confirm the details, the expected number of claimants, or the likely size of awards. Defence encourages those affected to register their interest in applying for a financial award by completing the LGBT veterans: support and next steps - GOV.UK webpage. Such registrations of interest will enable us to learn more about the affected community and thereby design the most suitable scheme possible.

South East Asia: Wrecks

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to protect historic shipwrecks in South East Asia belonging to the UK from illegal salvage.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As a matter of customary international law, all naval warships, state vessels and associated artefacts are afforded protection through the principle of Sovereign Immunity. The UK is of the view that, unless expressly relinquished or abandoned by the Flag State, the Sovereign Immunity of the wreck of any Crown vessel remains in place, regardless of where the wreck in question is located, and those who lost their lives in service of our country should be left in situ and undisturbed. Some warships are also afforded additional protection under the Protection of Military Remains Act. We strongly condemn any desecration of any maritime military grave. Where we have evidence of desecration of our historic shipwrecks we will take appropriate action, including working with regional Governments and partners to prevent inappropriate activity at such sites.

Vivo Defence Services: Staff

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 November 2023 on Service Family Accommodation and Winter Planning, HCWS28, how many members of staff work in the VIVO Customer Experience team as of 8 January 2024.

James Cartlidge: There are nine members of staff in the VIVO Customer Experience Team as of 8 January 2024.

Vivo Defence Services: Staff

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 November 2023 on Service Family Accommodation and Winter Planning, HCWS28, how many additional out-of-hours staff have VIVO recruited as of 8 January 2024.

James Cartlidge: VIVO’s core operational team’s resource has increased by 551 staff (a 59% uplift) since their contracts In Service Date of 1 April 2022. This includes engineers, schedulers and management staff who work on a rotational basis to ensure all aspects of maintenance are delivered in line with the contract out of hours. VIVO have also employed two additional schedulers who work solely out of hours to coordinate urgent repairs.

Armed Forces: Applications

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length of time is for a person joining the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF to undergo a full security check for their security clearance.

Dr Andrew Murrison: All recruits to the Army are vetted to Baseline Personnel Security Standard which takes an average of six weeks. A range of other clearances may be required in different combinations depending on the role and background of the recruit; the length of time taken for these therefore varies considerably.Neither the Royal Navy or Royal Air Force record the information requested.Information about the different levels of security clearance can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Armed Forces: Housing

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 November 2023 on Service Family Accommodation and Winter Planning, HCWS28, how much funding the Defence Infrastructure Organisation has allocated to replacing the (a) kitchens and (b) bathrooms in homes as of 8 January 2024.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 November 2023 on Service Family Accommodation and Winter Planning, HCWS28, what his planned timetable is for completing the replacement of (a) kitchens and (b) bathrooms.

James Cartlidge: The Department allocated £400 million additional funding over this financial year and next for Service Family Accommodation (SFA); £220 million for FY2023-24 and £180 million for FY 2024-25. The £220 million for this financial year was received at the end of July 2023 and since then the Defence Infrastructure Organisation has been working at pace to instruct works to improve SFA. This financial year, £15 million has been allocated to fund a nationwide programme to replace kitchens and bathrooms in circa 1060 SFA. These replacement works are underway and should be complete by the end of this financial year.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the costs of recruitment to the (a) Army; (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF in (i) 2023/24, (ii) 2024/25 and (iii) 2025/26.

Dr Andrew Murrison: It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the right hon. Member’s Question. I will write to him when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ajax turrets have been received by his Department as of 11 January 2024.

James Cartlidge: As of 11 January 2024 151 Ajax turrets have been received by the Department.

Navy: Staff

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many regular personnel are assigned to the Royal Navy submarine service.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Royal Navy does not routinely disclose the trained strength of individual branches or specialisms as to do so could, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability of the Armed Forces.

Australia: Navy

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 4 December 2023 on AUKUS Defence Partnership Update, HCWS89, what steps his Department is taking to scale up cooperation on maritime capabilities.

James Cartlidge: To scale up cooperation on maritime capabilities, AUKUS partners will execute a series of integrated trilateral maritime experiments and exercises to allow us to test and refine our ability to jointly operate uncrewed maritime systems, share and process maritime data trilaterally, and provide real-time maritime domain awareness to support decision-making.

Australia: Navy

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 4 December 2023 on AUKUS Defence Partnership Update, HCWS89, how many Australian sailors have completed their training in the UK as of 11 January 2024.

James Cartlidge: No Australian sailors have completed their training yet; three officers are part of the initial RAN cohort that will graduate the Marine Engineering Submariners course (to become a nuclear supervisor) later this year.

Navy: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications his Department has had for the position of Director Submarines; and how many have progressed to the next stage.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Whilst I must withhold the precise number of applications for the post of Director Submarines to preserve fair and open competition, I can confirm that the response has been extremely encouraging.Advertising externally has strengthened the competition, which has received interest from a field of highly credible applicants. All applications will be considered under fair and open competition, including a selection of the strongest candidates for interview. After which, the Flag and Senior Officers Appointments Board will decide the appointment.

Australia: Navy

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 4 December 2023 on AUKUS Defence Partnership Update, HCWS89, how many more Australian sailors will be trained in the UK.

James Cartlidge: There are currently two Royal Australian Navy (RAN) personnel who have applied to go through the UK Nuclear General Course. With the Royal Australian Navy transitioning to Virginia class SSNs initially, in the early years more Australian sailors will be trained in the US than the UK, but the numbers in the UK can be expected to increase steadily in preparation for Australia receiving the first SSN-AUKUS in the early 2040s.

Serco: Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) value and (b) duration is of the contract his Department holds with Serco for the recruitment of personnel into the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) does not hold a contract with Serco for the recruitment of personnel. However, the RFA does second staff from Serco to obtain specialist skills where there is a business need to do so. The cost of these secondments are withheld due to commercial sensitivities.

Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timetable is for operational deployment of the first Ajax vehicle.

James Cartlidge: Initial Operating Capability is planned to be achieved between July and December 2025, delivering a trained and deployable squadron that can be sustained on operations for up to six months. Army plans are developing with the first operational deployment as part of a wider Modernised Battlegroup not planned before 2026.

Armed Forces: Applications

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people had their application to join the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF because they did not the education requirements for (i) non-officer and (ii) officer recruitment in each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the right hon. Member’s Question. I will write to him when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

HMS Westminster

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what determination his Department has made of the future of HMS Westminster.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member the answer I provided to questions 7790 and 7791 on 10 January 2024. HMS Westminster (docx, 25.6KB)

Ministry of Defence: Equal Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish his Department's gender pay gap report for 2023.

Dr Andrew Murrison: There are two constituent components to Defence Gender Pay Gap Reporting as we monitor both the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Civilian workforce and the Armed Forces. We are currently aiming to publish the MOD Civilian Gender Pay Gap Report by 15th February 2024. We were unable to meet the cross-government publication date of 23 Nov 23 due to additional time needed to resolve some data discrepancies. Cabinet Office has agreed to MOD’s delayed publication. The UK Armed Forces Gender Pay Gap Report is not required to align with the cross-government publication date for the civilian population, and we are currently analysing data within the Armed Forces Continuous Working Patterns Survey to achieve publication by 7 March 2024.

HMS Argyll

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what determination his Department has made of the future of HMS Argyll.

James Cartlidge: No final decisions have been made concerning the status of HMS Argyll.

Armed Forces: Housing

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 November 2023 on Service Family Accommodation and Winter Planning, HCWS28, how much funding the Defence Infrastructure Organisation has allocated to the (a) boiling and (b) heating upgrades of homes as of 8 January 2024.

James Cartlidge: £8 million of funding for this financial year has been allocated for the replacement of boilers and other heating upgrades. It is not possible to separate this into boiler and heating upgrades elements because in some homes the boiler replacement will be part of an overall heating upgrade package.

Armed Forces: Housing

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 8 November 2023 on External Scrutiny Team Report, 2022 and 2023, HCWS18, what estimate he has made of the date by which all recommendations from the Haythornthwaite Review will be fully implemented.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 November 2023 to Question 468 to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Mr Pollard). https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-11-07/468

Submarines: Dockyards

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to tender for two new submarine floating docks.

James Cartlidge: An early market engagement notice was published on 7 November 2023 for Programme EUSTON. This engagement will inform the delivery strategy required to procure the planned out of water engineering maintenance facility at His Majesty's Naval Base Clyde. Following completion of the market engagement exercise this year, the Ministry of Defence intends to initiate a procurement programme for this additional capability. Programme EUSTON is currently in its concept phase and no date has yet been set for the tender process.

Trident Submarines: Procurement

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timescale is for the replacement of each of the Vanguard class submarines.

James Cartlidge: The programme to build four ballistic missile submarines to replace the current Vanguard Class remains on track to deliver the first boat in the Dreadnought Class, HMS Dreadnought, into service in the early 2030s.The planned in-service dates for Royal Navy submarines are withheld as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness, or security of the Armed Forces.

Armed Forces: Housing

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 November 2023 on Service Family Accommodation and Winter Planning, HCWS28, how much funding the Defence Infrastructure Organisation has allocated for the routine preparation of homes ready for Move In as of 8 January 2024.

James Cartlidge: This financial year, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation has allocated £72.3 million for the routine preparation of homes for move in.

Refugees: Afghanistan

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Department is paying for housing ARAP personnel in Service Family Accommodation.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence pays to house ARAP personnel in Service Family Accommodation.

Defence: Carbon Emissions

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his (a) NATO (b) other international counterparts on reducing carbon emissions from military activities.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Defence engages with NATO and with key partners such as the USA, Canada, France and Australia at Official level through various fora and bilaterally to build shared understandings, increase climate literacy, and exchange methods and approaches on reducing carbon emissions and military adaptation.At the Royal International Air Tattoo in July 2023, I signed the Defence Aviation Net Zero Strategy on behalf of the department, which outlines the steps necessary to meet the commitment to decarbonise Defence’s aviation capability, whilst also mitigating potential risks to operational effectiveness that are likely to arise as a result of climate change.

Military Bases: Asylum

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which military sites are being used to house (a) Afghan and (b) other refugees and asylum seekers; and what the cost to the public purse is of using these sites for that purpose.

James Heappey: A list of Ministry of Defence (MOD) sites which have been made available for use by Afghans and other refugees and asylum seekers can be found in the table below: Sites made available for AfghansSites made available for other refugees and asylum seekers NescliffeScamptonGarats HayWethersfieldSwynnertonNapier BarracksChickerell Crowborough Beachley Weeton Shrivenham Larkhill   For 2023-24, the full net additional cost to the defence estate for housing Afghans will not be captured until end of the financial year. The cost of running sites for other refugees and asylum seekers is the responsibility of the Home Office. The cost of running sites for other refugees and asylum seekers is not known to MOD as this is a responsibility of the Home Office.

Bomb Disposal: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions army bomb disposal units were called out in Northern Ireland in the period between 1 January 2023 and 1 July 2023.

James Heappey: Data for the period 1 January 2023 to 1 July 2023 can be found below: Total Improvised Explosive Device Disposal (IEDD) TasksTotal Conventional Munition Disposal (CMD) Tasks9216

Northern Ireland Office

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has held with the Irish Government on legacy issues.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Northern Ireland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office

Fraud: Telephone Services

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost was of (a) establishing and (b) operating the covid fraud hotline in the period since October 2020.

Alex Burghart: The Government Counter Fraud Function COVID-19 Fraud Intelligence Team (now part of the Public Sector Fraud Authority Intelligence Hub) established the Covid Fraud Hotline in October 2020 in partnership with Crimestoppers. It ended on 30 June 2023. Its creation led to 5,124 referrals of potential fraud being disseminated to public bodies. The figures provided below do not include Intelligence Team staff costs. The set up cost for the Covid Fraud Hotline with Crimestoppers was £105,000 excluding VAT. Following this, the operating costs of the Hotline between October 2020 and on 30 June 2023 was £114,940 excluding VAT In 22/23 the PSFA set a target of delivering £180m of savings to the taxpayer. The PSFA far surpassed this within the first 12 months by preventing and recovering £311 million. In its second year, the PSFA has a target of achieving £185 million of savings for the taxpayer.

Cabinet Office: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 41 of his Department's annual report and accounts for 2022/23, HC1464, published on 19 September 2023, what the distance travelled on domestic flights was that resulted in the emission totals of (a) 434 tCO2e in 2021/22 and (b) 363 tCO2e in 2022/23.

Alex Burghart: The distance travelled by domestic flights in 2021/22 was 556,491.84 Km which equates to 72 tCO2. In 2022/23 the department travelled 1,772,171.00 Km by domestic flights which equates to 230 tCO2e. Use of domestic air travel is a long standing practice under successive administrations to make best use of ministers’ working time, for instance by the last Labour Government for flights between London and Teesside, as reported by the BBC, ‘Ministers quizzed on RAF flights’, 12 April 2006, (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4900580.stm) and Independent newspaper ‘Blair runs up £1.2m bill using Queen's Flight’, Wednesday 12 April 2006, (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/blair-runs-up-163-1-2m-bill-using-queen-s-flight-6103956.html).

Cabinet Office: Photography

John Healey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost of photography services to his Department provided by external contractors was in each year since 2010.

Alex Burghart: Non-campaign photography tasks are undertaken by internal staff as part of their routine work and everyday roles and do not get billed separately. This service comes at no extra cost to the taxpayer.The Cabinet Office does pay external organisations to provide photography and videography for our various cross-government communication campaigns. However isolated spend data on these specific services is not split out from wider campaign costs.

Cabinet Office: Employment Tribunals Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the employment tribunal claim listed on page 126 of his Department's annual report and accounts for 2022/23, HC 1464, whether that claim has been heard; and what the status is of the contingent liability arising from that claim.

Alex Burghart: The Employment Tribunal hearing started in October and the claimant withdrew the claim mid-way through the hearing. The contingent liability has subsequently fallen away.

Queen Elizabeth House

Deidre Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff were employed at Queen Elizabeth House in each UK Government department or arms-length body (a) full time, (b) part time, (c) on a consultancy basis and (d) as civil servants as of 8 January 2023.

John Glen: The number of civil servants reported in post by government departments and executive agencies as at 31 March 2023 based in Queen Elizabeth House is presented in the table below. The postcode for Queen Elizabeth House, 1 Sibbald, Edinburgh is EH8 8FT. Information on consultants based or employed at Queen Elizabeth House is not centrally available. Table 1: Civil Servants whose postcode of government establishment or other workplace where employed or based is EH8 8FT, by civil service organisation and working pattern, as at 31 March 2023 Civil Service OrganisationHeadcount of all civil servants in full-time roleHeadcount of all civil servants working in a part-time roleTotal headcount of all civil servantsBuilding Digital UK[s]0[s]Cabinet Office (excl. agencies)10010Central Civil Service Fast Stream[s]0[s]Competition and Markets Authority551570Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (excl. agencies)80[s]85Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (excl. agencies)10010Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (excl. agencies)20[s]20Department for International Trade30[s]35Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (excl. agencies)30[s]35Department for Transport (excl. agencies)505Department of Health and Social Care (excl. agencies)[s]0[s]Government Actuary’s Department10[s]15Government Commercial Organisation[s]0[s]Health and Safety Executive50555HM Revenue and Customs (excl. agencies)1,8253952,220Home Office[s]0[s]Ministry of Justice (excl. agencies)[s]0[s]Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland (incl. Office of the Advocate General for Scotland)7510 80Scottish Government (excl. agencies)[s]0[s]Valuation Office Agency5510Total2,2204402,655 Source: Annual Civil Service Employment Statistics (ACSES), Cabinet Office[s] = confidential and suppressed due to small numbers of between 1 and 4.Numbers are rounded to the nearest five.Additional departments and their civil servants may be based/employed at Queen Elizabeth House but may not show in the data due to non-reporting of postcode information when reporting their locations information to Cabinet Office through ACSES.The data in the table refers to civil service organisations and civil servants only. Data for non-civil service organisations are not available centrally.

Civil Servants: Retirement

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if his Department will take steps to ensure that civil servants who have retired since 1 April 2022 are able to receive the £1500 cost of living award.

John Glen: I refer the Honourable Member for Warrington North to the answer given on 25th October 2023 in response to PQ 203635.

Home Office

Shoplifting

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant the Answer of 18 December 2023 to Question 6491 on Shoplifting, following an instance of shoplifting what evidence can be secured from non-police personnel.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2023 to Question 6491 on Shoplifting, what percentage of reports of shoplifting were attended by police in 2023; and whether attendance levels increased after publication of the National Police Chiefs' Council's Retail Crime Action Plan in October 2023.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times Ministers in his Department consulted the National Police Chiefs' Council on its Retail Crime Action Plan before publication.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2023 to Question 6491 on Shoplifting, whether HM Passport Office data has been used to help identify suspects of shoplifting.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2023 to Question 6491 on Shoplifting, whether the number of citizen's arrests related to shoplifting increased in 2023.

Chris Philp: The Government recognises the significant impact shoplifting has on businesses, communities and consumers.The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 51% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010; however, Police Recorded Crime figures show shoplifting offences increased by 25% in the 12 months to June 2023. Statistics also show the number of people charged with shoplifting offences has risen by 29% in the year ending June 2023. That’s a welcome indication that the police are heeding the message and are giving greater attention to shoplifting. The Home Office does not hold specific information relating to shoplifting offences attended by the police.Over recent months I have worked with representatives of the retail sector and senior police leaders, including the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) leads for Acquisitive Crime, Retail Crime, Business Crime and the National Business Crime Centre, to improve the police response toshoplifting. These conversations resulted in the development of the NPCC’s Retail Crime Action Plan.In October, the NPCC published the Retail Crime Action Plan. Through this Plan, all police forces in England and Wales have committed to prioritise police attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel.Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database to further aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals. Police forces use the facial matching facility on the Police National Database which contains images of people previously arrested. The UK passport database is searched on a limited basis in support of the most serious law enforcement investigations.The plan also includes guidance for retailers on what response they can expect from their local police, as well as how retailers can assist the police by providing evidence to help ensure cases are followed-up. Retailers can assist police by providing CCTV footage and images, which is best shared electronically via a Digital Evidence Management System.The Home Office does not hold data on police attendance at retail crime incidents. The NPCC is exploring how this data could be captured by police forces to show attendance in line with the commitments in the Retail Crime Action Plan.The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests made by police in England and Wales, as part of the annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Stop and search and arrests’ statistical release. The Home Office does not hold information relating to citizens arrests.

Crime: Databases

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2023 to Question 6492 on Crime: Databases, if he will provide examples of organisations who have a lawful reason to access HM Passport Office data in support of the law enforcement mission they have been tasked with performing.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2023 to Question 6492 on Crime: Databases, which data sets police forces have access to to help identify criminals as of 8 January 2024.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2023 to Question 6492 on Crime: Databases, whether the Government plans to increase police access to HM Passport Office data to help identify criminals.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2023 to Question 6492 on Crime: Databases, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of amalgamating data sets into one system.

Chris Philp: The government is committed to making sure the police have the tools and technology they need to solve and prevent crimes and keep the range of policy and technology changes needed to enable this under review. Not to keep pace with change will leave our communities vulnerable.Territorial police forces and the National Crime Agency, for example, have access to a range of datasets to help them identify suspects or victims. This includes the Passport Office databasesThe Home Office, working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, continues to assess the national policing programmes to determine the best approach to delivery of digital capabilities. This includes discussions on the merits of combining policing databases.There are no plans to merge the Police National Database and the Passport Office Databases and therefore no assessment of merits has been made.

Home Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Department's publication of spending over £500 using a government procurement card in October 2023, published on 28 December 2023, for what purpose the training for which Heliguy were paid £749.50 on 11 October 2023 will be used; what type of equipment the participants were trained to use; and what the cost to his Department's Communications Directorate was of purchasing that equipment.

Chris Philp: This training was conducted with the purpose of staff being legally allowed to operate a range of small drones in certain scenarios to capture video content.Having drone filming capabilities is standard practice within the video production industry and it’s important our team maintain industry standard skills.

Home Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2022 to Question 97490 on Home Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution, what net expenditure was incurred through the use of Travel and Expenses cards against his Department’s budget in calendar years (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

Chris Philp: Net expenditure through the use of Travel and Expense cards against the Home Office’s budget in calendar years 2022 to 2023 is detailed in the below table.YearAmount (£)20221,359,601.6820231,865,083.78

Home Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2023 to Question 129735 on Home Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution, how many transactions were made using Travel and Expenses cards against his Department's budget in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023; and how many of these transactions were (i) above and (ii) below £500.

Chris Philp: The number of Travel and Expense card transactions above and below £500 in calendar years 2022 to 2023 are detailed in the below table.YearTotal Number of Travel and Expense card Transactions £500 or belowTotal Number of Travel and Expense card Transactions above £500Total20227,6315178,148202310,05771510,772

Police: Complaints

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints were submitted to the Independent Office for Police Conduct in 2023.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of the complaints submitted to the Independent Office for Police Conduct in 2023 were upheld.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints were received by the Independent Office for Police Conduct about the Metropolitan Police in 2023; and how many of those complaints were upheld.

Chris Philp: The Independent Office of Police Conduct routinely publishes statistics on complaints they have received on their website: Police complaints statistics | Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)

Police: Labour Turnover and Recruitment

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of detectives.

Chris Philp: There are now a record number of police officers in England and Wales as a result of Police Uplift Programme.It is clear that forces must continue to focus on recruiting, supporting and retaining detectives.We therefore welcome the co-ordinated action that police forces, working with the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council are taking to ensure all forces have adequate numbers of detectives to investigate crime. As part of the College’s Policing Education Qualifications Framework, a detective-specific entry route has been created under the Degree Holder Entry Programme to ensure investigators are at the standard required to be as effective as possible.In addition, the Home Office has provided £5 million to Police Now in 2023/24 to enable forces to recruit and train participants on the National Detective Programme, to help bridge any gap in detective numbers for forces.

Drugs: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of harm reduction units for the use of drug taking in a safe environment.

Chris Philp: The term ‘harm reduction units for the use of drug taking in a safe environment’ refers to what are often more commonly known as Drug Consumption Rooms (DCRs).The Government does not support DCRs. We have been clear that we have concerns about the potential for these facilities to appear to condone drug use and to encourage the continued illicit supply of drugs. They will not be introduced in England and Wales. While we remain open to considering any new evidence, the evidence available to date has informed the current policy position.

Security Guards: Training

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to review the capability of (a) current and (b) potential Security Industry Authority license holders who have completed invalid training courses.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of stricter requirements for the issuing of Security Industry Authority licenses.

Chris Philp: As the regulator of the private security industry, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) is responsible for the licensing of individuals wishing to work in roles which fall under the scope of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. Before issuing a licence, the SIA conducts an assessment of suitability in line with the published licensing criteria (Get Licensed). The SIA can update the licensing criteria, subject to approval by the Secretary of State.To ensure that applicants are fit and proper to obtain an SIA licence, the regulator undertakes both a right to work and criminal record checks. In addition to these checks, the SIA requires prescribed qualifications for certain front-line roles (for example, a Level 2 Award for Working as a Door Supervisor). This assessment, prior to granting an individual licence, together with the SIA’s ability to suspend or revoke active licences when operatives fall below the fit and proper threshold, forms the current model of regulation.The public must have confidence that licensed operatives have undertaken mandatory training. If the SIA finds that a licence holder has not completed all the required training and there is doubt over the validity of the qualification, the SIA will suspend or revoke their licence. The SIA is working with qualification regulators and awarding organisations to respond to instances of training malpractice, and to prevent learners from acquiring unsound qualifications. The Home Office continues to engage with the SIA on this issue and will support measures to end training malpractice.

Asylum: Children

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 56(d) of the judgement of 28 November 2023 of Mr. Justice Chamberlain, in the case of R (on the application of Kent County Council) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2023], whether he plans to commence the provisions of the 2023 Act.

Tom Pursglove: The Illegal Migration Act received Royal Assent on 20 July 2023. The Act seeks to ensure the only way to come to the UK for protection will be through safe and legal routes and will take power out of the hands of the criminal gangs and protect vulnerable people, including children. Following the High Court ECPAT judgment and Supreme Court judgment on Rwanda, the Government is carefully reflecting on commencement of the powers in the Act, including those relating to the accommodation and transfer of unaccompanied children. These powers have not yet been commenced and a decision will be made in due course. The Act does not change a local authority’s statutory obligations to children from the date of arrival and that the best place for an unaccompanied child is in the care of a local authority. This is something the Government was consistently clear about during the Illegal Migration Act’s passage through Parliament. We are working at pace with Kent County Council, other government departments and local authorities across the UK to ensure suitable local authority placements are provided for unaccompanied asylum seeking children urgently and sustainably.

Biometric Residence Permits

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of applicants have been waiting more than 28 days for a biometric residence permit.

Tom Pursglove: BRPs are produced at the secure delivery facility within 48 hours of the production request being made and are collected by our secure delivery partner the same day. Our secure delivery partner aims to attempt to deliver the BRPs within 48 hours of receipt of the BRPs. This equates to a minimum of 5 working days from the date of the production request being made to delivery of the BRP. We have added an additional 2 working days to the timeline advised to applicants to allow us to resolve any production issues.During 2023, 99.6% of BRPs were produced within 24 hours of the production request and 100% within 48 hours. In 2023, our Secure Delivery Partner attempted to deliver over 99% of BRPs within 48 hours.

Undocumented Migrants: Employment

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data his Department holds on the number of people fined under article 2 of the Immigration (Employment of Adults Subject to Immigration Control) Order 2008 for each year since it came into force.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data his Department holds on the number of people fined under section (a) 23(2) and (b) 25(4) of the Immigration Act 2014 for each year since the Act came into force.

Tom Pursglove: The link to the transparency data can be found here, and covers the period 2016 to September 2023: Immigration Enforcement data: Q3 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Right to Work statistics can be found on tab CP02 and Right to Rent statistics can be found on tab CP03.The data for 2023 only includes the published data covering the period January to September.The information within the transparency data refers to the total numbers of entities who have received a civil penalty, rather than “the number of people fined”. For employment, this could mean a limited company, a sole trader, or a franchise. For renting, an entity could include a landlord or a letting agency.It is possible that some entities have been fined on more than one occasion.Data prior to 2016 does not exist in the same reportable format.

Asylum: Temporary Accommodation

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will have discussions with local authorities on the potential for greater council control of asylum accommodation.

Tom Pursglove: Full dispersal is built upon a culture of shared accountability and collective delivery between accommodation providers, the Home Office and local authorities. There are monthly regional governance meetings, which offer an avenue for collaboration and opportunities for the Home Office, accommodation providers, and local authorities to engage, drive progress and monitor the procurement of dispersed accommodation. It is imperative that we work together on asylum accommodation.The Home Office agreed Full Dispersal Allocation Plans for every local authority and region in the UK, including Scotland and Wales for 2023. The Home Office is exploring how to improve plans for 2024 and beyond and local authorities will be contacted as soon as possible to discuss this in more detail.

Asylum: Temporary Accommodation

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that local authorities are not adversely affected by the increase in the number of dispersal beds procured for asylum seekers; and whether his Department (a) is providing and (b) plans to provide additional financial support to local authorities to assist with associated costs.

Tom Pursglove: Full dispersal is a key priority for the Home Office, as well as the Government and aims to achieve a more fair and equitable accommodation spread of asylum seekers across the UK. We are committed to working closely with communities and stakeholders to ensure destitute asylum seekers are housed in safe, secure and suitable accommodation, and that they are treated with dignity while their asylum claim is considered. There are monthly regional governance meetings, which offer an avenue for collaboration and opportunities for the Home Office, Accommodation providers, and local authorities to engage, drive progress and monitor the procurement of dispersed accommodation. The Home Office agreed Full Dispersal Allocation Plans for every local authority and region in the UK, including Scotland and Wales, for 2023. The Home Office is exploring how to improve plans for 2024 and beyond, and local authorities will be contacted as soon as possible to discuss this in more detail.It is recognised that housing asylum seekers, alongside the challenges of domestic homelessness, has further stretched local council services. In recognition of these pressures the Government has a significant funding package for local authorities who help to support asylum seekers in their area.

Leonard Farruku

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which public authorities are responsible for investigating the death of Leonard Farruku on the Bibby Stockholm barge on 12 December 2023.

Tom Pursglove: This tragic incident is subject to an ongoing investigation by the police and the Coroner. It is right that the facts surrounding this are established in the appropriate legal manner.

Hospitality Industry: Migrant Workers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had recent discussions with Hospitality UK on the potential impact of the immigration fees introduced in October 2023 on the recruitment of (a) chefs, (b) hotel staff and (c) other staff in the hospitality sector.

Tom Pursglove: There is little evidence that fee increases to date have significantly affected demand on work routes. The Home Office keeps fees under review and publish impact assessments when we make fee changes in legislation, which evaluate potential behavioural impacts on prospective applicants. A Regulatory Impact Assessment has been published and analyses the potential impact on migration, broken down by visa product and delineated on applications made in and out of country:  The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2023 - Impact Assessment (legislation.gov.uk).

Asylum: Temporary Accommodation

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has received payments of profits over a contractual threshold from private providers running asylum accommodation.

Tom Pursglove: We cannot comment on commercial arrangements with suppliers.

Hospitality Industry: Migrant Workers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had recent discussions with Hospitality UK on the potential impact of increasing the minimum income threshold for visas on the recruitment of (a) chefs, (b) hotel staff and (c) other staff in the hospitality sector.

Tom Pursglove: The Government engages regularly with business sectors, including through a number of its advisory groups, when developing its policies and which will continue to strike the balance between reducing overall net migration and ensuring that businesses have the skills they need to support economic growth.

Biometric Residence Permits

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress his Department has made in resolving the technical issues affecting the issuing of Biometric Residence Permit cards.

Tom Pursglove: Incidences of technical issues preventing BRP card production are extremely low, and no systemic issues have been identified.Where individual card requests do fail, operational case working teams and IT Support endeavour to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.For any case that cannot be resolved immediately, the Employer Checking and Landlord Checking Services are available to provide support to customers to verify their immigration status and permission to work and rent properties in the UK.

Asylum: Bibby Stockholm

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers were being accommodated on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland on 8 December 2023.

Tom Pursglove: The Bibby Stockholm can accommodate around 500 people. The number of asylum seekers onboard the vessel at any one time is likely to vary due to a number of factors.

Home Office: Corporate Travel Management

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will review the performance criteria of the contract between his Department and Corporate Travel Management for the Bibby Stockholm.

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the contract between his Department and Corporate Travel Management includes penalties for (a) fatalities among and (b) injuries sustained by people accommodated on the Bibby Stockholm.

Tom Pursglove: Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential. Therefore, the Home Office does not publish this information. However, total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at:Home Office Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023 (publishing.service.gov.uk).

Home Office: Bibby Marine

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the charter agreement between his Department and Bibby Shipping for the Bibby Stockholm.

Tom Pursglove: Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential. Therefore, the Home Office does not publish this information. However, total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at:Home Office Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023 (publishing.service.gov.uk).

Asylum: Hotels

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to end the requisitioning of hotels for the housing of asylum seekers in Bournemouth.

Tom Pursglove: We are making significant progress in closing hotels, with 50 due to be closed by the end of January, and more in the coming months.We are also working to move asylum seekers into alternative, cheaper accommodation and have successfully cleared the legacy backlog by deciding more than 112,000 cases, while maintaining the integrity of the system.

Asylum: Newport East

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of asylum applications from applicants in Newport East constituency that were submitted before June 2022 are awaiting a final decision.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on applications awaiting a decision is published in table Asy_10a of the ‘Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. Please note that this information is not broken down by local authority, nor the date by which the application was submitted.The Home Office publishes data on asylum seekers in receipt of support by local authority in table Asy_D11 of the ‘Asylum and resettlement local authority data’ detailed datasets. Information on asylum seekers who are not claiming support is not available by local authority. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of each workbook. Additionally, the data shows a snapshot as at the last day of each quarter, rather than the number of asylum applications awaiting a decision over the entire quarter. The latest data relates to as at 30 September 2023. Data as at 31 December 2023 will be published on 29 February 2024.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Asylum: Hotels

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress he has made on ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers in Stoke-on-Trent.

Tom Pursglove: We are making significant progress in closing hotels, with 50 due to be closed by the end of January, and more in the coming months.We are also working hard to move asylum seekers into alternative, cheaper accommodation and have successfully cleared the legacy backlog by deciding more than 112,000 cases, while maintaining the integrity of the system.

Asylum: Temporary Accommodation

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers awaiting their claims to be processed were housed in (a) hotels and (b) other locations at public expense as of 1 January 2024.

Tom Pursglove: Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation (including in contingency hotels and other contingency accommodation) is published in table Asy_D11 here: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Data is published on a quarterly basis.Costs are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system. Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential; therefore, the Home Office does not publish this information. However, total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan refugees were housed in interim hotel accommodation as of (a) 5 December 2023, (b) 12 December 2023, (c) 19 December 2023, (d) 26 December 2023 and (e) 31 December 2023.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan refugees housed in interim hotel accommodation were aged (a) zero to three, (b) three to five, (c) five to ten, (d) 10 to 15 and (e) 15 to 18 years old as of 26 December 2023.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan refugees who left hotel accommodation between 1 and 31 December 2023 have found permanent accommodation in the same local authority area.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support has been provided to Bradford Council by his Department to support Afghan refugees leaving interim hotel accommodation.

Tom Pursglove: The UK made an ambitious and generous commitment to help resettle Afghans fleeing persecution and those who served in the UK. Since June 2021, we have brought 24,500 people to safety to the UK.1,674 people, around half of whom are children, were living in interim accommodation (i.e., hotels/serviced accommodation) at the end of September 2023.For information on individuals within interim accommodation, including nationality, age, and sex breakdowns, see table Asy_D02 of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets: Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).For data on those in accommodation by location, see the regional and local authority immigration groups data tables.We are unable to provide a running commentary on interim accommodation and settled accommodation occupation. The next release of Afghan Operational Data is due for release around 22 February 2024.Local authorities receive integration tariff funding of £20,520 per person, over three years, for each Afghan family they resettle and provide full integration support for this duration.  They have the flexibility to use this funding to contribute towards renting accommodation, including deposit, letting fees and necessary furnishings.

Animal Experiments

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has taken recent steps to end the use of the false swim test.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office welcomes the recent advice from the Government’s independent advisory body, the Animals in Science Committee, on the use of the forced swim test. The report and its recommendations are being carefully considered, and the Home Office will respond in due course.

Visas: Charities

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there is a cap on weekly working hours for charity worker visas.

Tom Pursglove: There is no cap on weekly working hours for those with permission on the Charity Worker visa route. However, visa holders must be undertaking voluntary fieldwork that does not fill a permanent position, even if this is on a temporary basis.

Asylum: Temporary Accommodation

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance his Department issues on (a) the level of profit that private providers may receive from running asylum accommodation and (b) arrangements for the management of profits over that threshold.

Tom Pursglove: It would not be appropriate to comment on commercial arrangements with suppliers. All Home Office commercial contracts are designed to ensure the best value for taxpayers and the Home Office closely monitors its contractors’ performance, including financial results. Any profits above the agreed contractual mark-up are returned to the Home Office.

Asylum: Hotels

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress his Department has made on ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers in seaside towns.

Tom Pursglove: We are making significant progress in closing hotels, with 50 due to be closed by the end of January, and more in the coming months.We are also working to move asylum seekers into alternative, cheaper accommodation and have successfully cleared the legacy backlog by deciding more than 112,000 cases, while maintaining the integrity of the system.

Community Protection Notices

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Community Protection (a) Warnings and (b) Notices were issued in each of the last five years.

Chris Philp: The Government has provided the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers, including Community Protection Warnings and Notices, that can be used for quick an effective response to ASB, through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.Information on the number of Community Protection Warnings or Notices have been issued by such organisations is not held by the Home Office.

Counter-terrorism

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to improve the complaints mechanism for challenging Prevent referrals.

Tom Tugendhat: The Home Office is committed to implementing William Shawcross’s Independent Review of Prevent in full, which included recommendation 34: “Create a new standards and compliance unit answerable to ministers on the Prevent oversight board.”

Animal Experiments

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will undertake a review of all animal procedures to (a) identify and (b) remove (i) redundant, (ii) duplicate and (iii) wasteful methods of animal testing.

Tom Tugendhat: The Home Office Regulator reviews every project licence application to use animals in scientific procedures. A licence will only be granted when the Regulator is satisfied that there are no practicable alternatives, that the number of animals used is the minimum needed to achieve the scientific benefit, and that any harm to animals is limited to that needed to achieve the scientific benefit.The National Centre for the 3Rs, which receives core funding from UK Research and Innovation, supports these aims by working to accelerate the replacement, reduction and refinement of the use of animals in research.

Security Guards: Training

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will instruct the Security Industry Authority to void SIA licences if their holders are found not to have completed all learning modules.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had recent discussions with the Security Industry Authority on potential malpractice by SIA course instructors.

Tom Tugendhat: As the regulator of the private security industry, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) is responsible for specifying the standard of skills and knowledge that a licensed security operative must have. The SIA does not deliver training itself. Applicants must complete all the mandatory learning modules, and have successfully achieved the role-specific qualification, prior to submitting their licence application to the SIA.If the SIA subsequently finds that a licence holder has not completed all the required training and there is doubt over the validity of the qualification, the SIA will suspend or revoke their licence.In response to recent media reports of training malpractice, the SIA is working with qualification regulators and awarding organisations to ensure that allegations are investigated effectively. The public must have confidence that licensed operatives have undertaken mandatory training. The Home Office is in discussion with the SIA on this issue and receiving regular reports.

Antisemitism

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding his Department plans to allocate to the Jewish Community Police, Crime and Security Taskforce in 2024.

Tom Tugendhat: The Government continues to provide protective security funding to the Jewish community through the Jewish Community Protective Security (JCPS) Grant. This includes £3 million of funding announced by the Prime Minister in October for the Community Security Trust (CST) to provide additional security at Jewish schools, synagogues and other Jewish community sites. This brings total funding for CST, through the Grant, to £18 million in 2023/24, and this will remain at £18 million in 2024/25.The Taskforce does not have a specific budget allocation and does not currently have any specific costs associated with its work.

Defending Democracy Taskforce

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2023 to Question 1081 on Asylum: Rwanda, whether his Department plans to publish the Defending Democracy Taskforce's review into the UK's approach to transnational repression.

Tom Tugendhat: The Defending Democracy Taskforce's review into the UK's approach to transnational repression is nearing completion. It remains a priority to ensure the UK has a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement to this threat to our democracy.I intend to update the House on the review in due course.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Alan Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2023 to Question 6846 on Gaza: Humanitarian Aid, for what reason he does not hold the information requested; and if he will make it his policy to collect information on the value of stockpiled aid goods unable to enter Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: UK funded humanitarian aid supplies destined for Gaza are being delivered to the Strip. However, alongside significant congestion at the Rafah border, some items which Israel consider to be of potential "dual use" - civilian or military, such as solar lights and water filters, have been stopped and returned to Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) warehouses in Al-Arish. We estimate the value of these items to be about £93,000. The UK is supporting the Egyptian ERCS, who are leading and coordinating the delivery of all national and international aid to Gaza within its auxiliary role to the Government of Egypt. The ERCS is working with other humanitarian actors, including the UN, to improve the tracking system of aid deliveries for this extremely complicated operation. This will help to provide more detail on the goods that have and have not been permitted to enter Gaza. The UK continues to press Israel to increase the flexibility and visibility on goods allowed into Gaza and improved efficiency of screening processes.

Gaza: Israel

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take diplomatic steps with his international counterparts to help secure a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to a sustainable and permanent ceasefire and is actively engaging international partners to achieve this. This means a ceasefire that will last and prevent another generation of children living under the constant threat of war; Hamas no longer in power in Gaza, being able to threaten Israel with rocket attacks and other forms of terrorism; and the immediate release of hostages still being held. Ahead of a permanent ceasefire, we want to see immediate and sustained humanitarian pauses. This will allow a window for hostages to leave and more aid to enter Gaza - helping to create the conditions for a durable peace. We want to see a peaceful resolution to this conflict as soon as possible and the UK will work with international partners to ensure the implementation of this resolution.

Gaza: Israel

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the report by Human Rights Watch entitled Israel: Starvation Used as Weapon of War in Gaza, published on 18 December 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO is aware of this report. We support Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas, but it must comply with International Humanitarian Law; we keep under continuous review whether they are abiding by their obligations. The Prime Minister has made this clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu repeatedly and has been in close contact throughout. We recognise that there is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. We have trebled our aid commitment this financial year and are doing everything we can to get more aid in and open more crossings. We have also supported the United Nations World Food Programme to deliver a new humanitarian land corridor from Jordan into Gaza, with 750 metric tons of life-saving food aid arriving in the first delivery. Israel must also take steps, working with other partners including the UN and Egypt, to significantly increase the flow of aid into Gaza including allowing prolonged humanitarian pauses, opening more aid routes into Gaza and restoring and sustaining water, fuel and electricity.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what progress his Department has made on the provision of (a) food, (b) water, (c) electricity, (d) medicine, (e) fuel and (f) other aid to Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Getting significantly more aid into Gaza is a clear priority. The Foreign Secretary has appointed a senior official, Mark Bryson-Richardson, as his Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to help drive forward this vital work.The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance and has already delivered 74 tonnes of aid to Gaza. Earlier this month, a further 82 tonnes of life-saving UK aid arrived in Egypt onboard RFA Lyme Bay. UK funding supports the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and other trusted partners to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza. We continue to urge Israel to increase the flow of aid into Gaza and continue to reiterate the urgent need for more humanitarian pauses. We are exploring all methods of delivering humanitarian assistance to Gaza to expand both the capacity and volume of aid arriving in Gaza.

Gaza: Older People

Richard Burgon: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help support older people in Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government has stressed to Israeli leaders that they must take every effort to protect civilians. We recognise that there are certain groups who are uniquely exposed to risks, including the elderly. We are supporting trusted partners to address the needs of these vulnerable groups.

Israel: Palestinians

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the treatment of Palestinian children in the Israeli military detention system.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to working with Israel to secure improvements in detention practices in Israel. We have made plain our concerns over continued reports of ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli military detention, particularly of children. Reports of the heavy use of painful restraints and the high number of Palestinian children who are not informed of their legal rights, in contravention of Israel's own regulations, are particularly troubling. The UK repeatedly calls on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and we have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation.

Bilateral Aid: Equality

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what proportion of his Department's bilateral aid programmes include a focus on gender equality.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Official data, sourced from the Statistics for International Development and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) DAC Creditor Reporting System, is available for 2022. This data indicates that in 2022 58 per cent of FCDO bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes had a focus on gender equality (using OECD DAC markers Significant and Principal). As part of FCDO's International Women and Girls Strategy launched in 2023, we will ensure at least 80 per cent of FCDO's bilateral aid programmes have a focus on gender equality by 2030. This is a reflection of how we are prioritising gender equality in our work and investment moving forward.

Development Aid: Women

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much his Department spent on aid projects relating to women and girls in (a) 2019-20 and (b) the last financial year.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Official data, sourced from the Statistics for International Development and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) DAC Creditor Reporting System, is available for 2022. This data indicated that in 2022 58 per cent of the FCDO's total bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme spend was in programmes that had a focus on gender equality (using OECD DAC markers Significant and Principal). In 2021 the figure was 60 per cent, in 2020 the figure was 70 per cent, and in 2019 it was 67 per cent. As part of FCDO's International Women and Girls Strategy published in 2023, we will ensure at least 80 per cent of the FCDO's bilateral aid programmes have a focus on gender equality by 2030. This is a reflection of how we are prioritising gender equality in our work and investment moving forward.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether any UK aid has been refused entry to Gaza by the Israeli authorities.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: UK funded humanitarian aid supplies destined for Gaza are being delivered to the Strip. However, alongside significant congestion at the Rafah border, some items which Israel consider to be of potential "dual use" - civilian or military, such as solar lights and water filters, have been stopped and returned to Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) warehouses in Al-Arish. The UK is supporting the Egyptian ERCS, who are leading and coordinating the delivery of all national and international aid to Gaza within its auxiliary role to the Government of Egypt. The ERCS is working with other humanitarian actors, including the UN, to improve the tracking system of aid deliveries for this extremely complicated operation. This will help to provide more detail on the goods that have and have not been permitted to enter Gaza. The UK continues to press Israel to increase the flexibility and visibility on goods allowed into Gaza and improved efficiency of screening processes, and the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and I have prioritised getting significantly more aid into Gaza. The Foreign Secretary has recently appointed his Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories who will actively engage with international partners and those operating on the ground to help unblock bottlenecks to delivery.

Sudan: Arms Trade

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take steps to build consensus among international partners on halting arms supplies to all parties to the conflict in Sudan in advance of the publication of any report of the Panel of Experts to the UN Sudan Sanctions Committee.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK condemns any actions that fuels the brutal conflict in Sudan. In March, the UN Security Council renewed the mandate of the UN Panel of Experts, and extended the Darfur arms embargo until 12 September 2024. There is also a longstanding bilateral UK arms embargo in place for the whole of Sudan. These regimes have been used to constrain the flow of weapons into the country and support efforts to stop those who pose a threat to stability in Darfur. We continue to place emphasis on the importance of neutrality and of supporting a ceasefire and civilian political transition. In addition, UK officials have engaged extensively with the UN Panel of Experts on their findings. The UK will engage closely with the US (as penholder) on the renewal of the Panel of Experts mandate which is due to expire in March.

Israel: Palestinians

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 December 2023 to Question 5833 on Palestinians: Children, what steps his Department is taking to identify people responsible for settler violence.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We continue to be clear that extremist settlers, by targeting and killing Palestinian civilians, are undermining security and stability when Israelis and Palestinians are desperate for both. We have urged Israel to take stronger action to stop settler violence against Palestinian civilians and to hold the perpetrators accountable. As the Foreign Secretary said on 14 December, we are banning those responsible for settler violence from entering the UK, to make sure our country cannot be a home for people who commit these acts. This involves making use of existing disruptive immigration measures at our disposal.We are not in a position to comment on individual cases.

Jerusalem: Cultural Heritage

Andy McDonald: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the attempted Israeli settler takeover of the Cows Garden plot in the Armenian Quarter of Old Jerusalem; and whether representatives from the British Embassy plan to visit the Armenian community in the near future.

Andy McDonald: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the (a) reported Israeli settler violence and intimidation against the Armenian community of Jerusalem and (b) attempted takeover of the Cows Garden plot in the Armenian Quarter of Old Jerusalem by Israeli settler organisations linked with Xana Capital.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is monitoring the situation in the Cow Garden site of the Armenian Quarter of Old Jerusalem and are clear on the need to avoid any further rise in tensions. The British Consulate Jerusalem will be meeting representatives on this issue in the coming week. The UK's position on the status of Jerusalem is clear and long-standing: it should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states. The UK is a strong believer in the need to preserve Jerusalem's strong multi-ethnic, multi-faith character. The UK is also a strong supporter of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and an advocate for the integrity of cultural important areas to be respected. The UK continues to take a strong stance against settler violence, and urges Israel to take stronger action to stop settler violence and hold the perpetrators accountable.

Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to meet each of the four priorities on preventing sexual violence in conflict.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: One year on from the launch of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) strategy, we have delivered impact across each of its four objectives. We have driven global momentum, launching the International Alliance on PSVI. We have launched 'ACT for Survivors', a national-level capacity building programme promoting investigation and prosecution of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) crimes. PSVI contributions led to vital legislative changes in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a judicial macro case prosecuting CRSV crimes in Colombia. Setting a gold standard internationally, we pioneer survivor-centred approaches to decision making through our PSVI Survivor Champions and Survivor Advisory Group.

India: Development Aid

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of continuing to send Foreign Aid to India.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The British Government stopped providing traditional development aid to India in 2015. Most UK funding to India is in the form of investments in priority areas like climate change. These investments have the dual aims of supporting development and backing private enterprises with the potential to be commercially viable, creating new partners, markets and jobs for the UK as well as India. They also generate returns which the British Government can reinvest in India or elsewhere. To date we have invested £330 million and over £100 million has been returned. We expect to get all our investments back over time.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps he is taking to encourage the Indian Government to co-operate with the Canadian investigation into the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Prime Minster spoke to Prime Minister Trudeau on 6 October 2023 regarding the serious allegations raised in the Canadian Parliament. All countries should respect sovereignty and the rule of law. It is important Canada's investigation runs its course, with the perpetrators brought to justice. We have raised this matter with the Government of India at all levels, including through the Foreign Secretary, and we encourage them to cooperate fully with the investigation.

Red Sea: Shipping

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in (a) Egypt, (b) Sudan, (c) Saudi Arabia and (d) Yemen on maritime security in the Red Sea.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We are working with allies and partners to safeguard maritime security and navigational rights and freedoms in the Red Sea. The UK takes threats to shipping vessels in the Red Sea extremely seriously.The Foreign Secretary has recently discussed the Red Sea and other matters with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The Defence Secretary also recently spoke with Yemeni President Alimi and Saudi Minister of Defence Khalid bin Salman, and Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Lord Ahmad, recently spoke with Yemeni Foreign Minister Mubarak.Despite the repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis have continued to carry these illegal and unjustified attacks in the Red Sea, including against UK and US warships from 9 January. Consequently, on 11 January, we took limited, necessary, proportionate, and legal action in self-defence to degrade Houthi military capabilities and protect global shipping.We continue to pursue all diplomatic routes.

Red Sea: Shipping

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in (a) Saudi Arabia, (b) the United Arab Emirates, (c) Oman and (d) Jordan on the naval protection force in the Red Sea.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We are working with allies and partners to safeguard maritime security and navigational rights and freedoms in the Red Sea. The UK takes threats to shipping vessels in the Red Sea extremely seriously.Britain joined the US and others in Operation Prosperity Guardian - an international naval force to deter mounting Houthi attacks on commercial shipping. This coalition bolsters international efforts to keep open one of the world's most important waterways. Royal Navy Destroyer, HMS Diamond, is a part of this coalition and has already been involved in action to protect shipping from Houthi threats on 16 December and 9 January. HMS Diamond was first targeted by a Houthi attack on 9 January.The Foreign Secretary has discussed developments in the Red Sea with key interlocutors from Saudi Arabia (14 December), UAE (16 December & 12 January), and Oman on the weekend (31 December). The Defence Secretary also recently spoke with Yemeni President Alimi (21 December) and Saudi Minister of Defence Khalid bin Salman (21 December).We continue to pursue all diplomatic routes.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Pakistani counterpart on (a) the principle of non-refoulement and (b) its other obligations under international human rights law in the context of the treatment of Afghan refugees.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government is working with the UN Refugee Agency and other international organisations to monitor the return of Afghans from Pakistan, including the humanitarian and human rights implications. We regularly raise human rights at the highest levels with the Government of Pakistan. The Foreign Secretary met with Pakistan's Caretaker Foreign Minister on 30 November 2023 and received assurances towards the safety of Afghans who are eligible for UK resettlement under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) schemes. Since September, we have committed £18.5 million to the International Organisation for Migration in Afghanistan to support undocumented returnees.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in (a) Australia and (b) New Zealand on the civil war in Yemen.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UN-brokered truce in April 2022, which formally expired in October 2022, has continued to de facto hold. The de facto truce is the most significant opportunity for peace in Yemen in years.We welcome the conclusion of the Saudi-Houthi talks and the formal launch of the UN-led Roadmap by the UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, on 23 December 2023. This transition to an intra-Yemeni peace process under UN auspices has been reached following years of HMG's diplomatic support. The UK conducts regular engagements with partners, including Australia and New Zealand, through our diplomatic presence for Yemen in Amman and Riyadh.An inclusive political settlement is the only way to bring sustainable peace and long-term stability to Yemen, and to address the worsening humanitarian crisis.

Red Sea: Shipping

Layla Moran: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Houthi militant attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea on the cost of living in the UK.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Since November, due to Houthi attacks, 12 international shipping companies have been forced to suspend passage through the Red Sea, causing lengthy delays and disruption to global supply chains. This has included causing insurance premiums for shipping to increase ten-fold; although, this only contributes a small fraction of total costs passed onto the end-consumer. These attacks therefore present a risk of increased prices for consumer goods and energy.Be assured that the Government is working closely with shipping operators to mitigate any potential impact on consumers, and the shipping and supply chain sectors are well practiced at putting contingencies in place to continue to meet their customer needs.The Government continues to monitor the situation closely.

Pakistan: Human Rights

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Foreign Secretary has made recent representations to the Government of Pakistan on protecting the human rights of minorities in that country.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK remains deeply concerned by the mistreatment and discrimination faced by marginalised religious communities in Pakistan. We regularly raise the issue at a senior level with the Pakistani Government. The former Foreign Secretary raised the persecution of religious communities with Prime Minister Kakar on 25 September. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, wrote to Foreign Minister Jilani on this issue on 21 August. Lord Ahmad also raised the desecration of Ahmadi Muslim graves and mosques in a meeting with Foreign Minister Jilani on 13 September and in a letter of 5 October.

Pakistan: Human Rights

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Foreign Secretary has made recent representations to the Government of Pakistan on the human rights of Baloch protesters in that country.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK is concerned about reports of human rights abuses in Pakistan, including in Balochistan. We strongly condemn any instances of extrajudicial killings or enforced disappearances. The former Foreign Secretary met with Pakistan's Caretaker Prime Minister on the 25th September to discuss human rights. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, raised the issue of enforced disappearances with the then Minister for Human Rights in June 2022. The UK will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people as laid down in Pakistan's Constitution and in accordance with international standards.

Abbas Deris

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the Answer of 11 September 2023 to Question 196343 on Abbas Deris, what recent discussions he has had with his Iranian counterparts on the imprisonment of Abbas Deris.

David Rutley: HMG opposes the death penalty in all circumstances. At the 78th UN General Assembly, we co-sponsored the Iran Human Rights Resolution, calling for Iran to establish a moratorium on executions. We condemn Iran's continued imposition of the death penalty on protesters and have sanctioned 94 Iranian individuals or entities for human rights violations since September 2022. We will continue to pressure Iran on its application of the death penalty.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, when he plans to publish the details of his Department's expenditure over £500 using a government procurement card for (a) 1 November to 31 December 2022 and (b) 1 January to 30 November 2023.

David Rutley: The publication of the reports referenced have been delayed as a result of the transition to a new reporting system. We remain committed to transparency and reports will be provided in due course.

Israel: Gaza

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take steps to support the case brought against Israel at the international court of justice by the Republic of South Africa.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: This development is unhelpful and we do not support it. We recognise that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. We do not believe that calling this genocide is the right approach. It is wrong to say that Israeli leadership, and Israel as a country, have the intention to commit genocide. Ultimately, it is for courts to decide on matters of genocide, not for states. We of course respect the role and independence of the International Court of Justice.

Israel: Gaza

Andy McDonald: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department plans to (a) support the request for preventative measures and (b) otherwise participate in the case against Israel at the international court of justice brought by the Republic of South Africa.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: This development is unhelpful and we do not support it. We recognise that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. We do not believe that calling this genocide is the right approach. It is wrong to say that Israeli leadership, and Israel as a country, have the intention to commit genocide. Ultimately, it is for courts to decide on matters of genocide, not for states. We of course respect the role and independence of the International Court of Justice.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Foreign Relations

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to support (a) peaceful and (b) inclusive dialogue in Democratic Republic of the Congo following the presidential election; and what steps he is taking to engage with his Congolese counterpart on (i) insecurity, (ii) climate objectives and (iii) other issues.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The United Kingdom commends Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) voters for their participation in the Presidential elections and their determination to exercise their democratic rights. We note the preliminary reports of electoral observation missions which flagged several irregularities in the electoral process. We, along with our partners, urge the government of DRC to investigate any issues transparently. We are also encouraging all parties to raise any complaints through peaceful and constitutional means. The UK remains a committed partner to DRC - including on climate, where we co-chair the development partner working group that coordinates with Government, and chair the Central African Forest Initiative. We will continue working with GoDRC and the region to address insecurity. We are concerned about the appalling humanitarian situation in eastern DRC, and are addressing this through the recently announced 3-year £98 million UK funded humanitarian and resilience programme for crisis affected communities where food insecurity is highest.

Armed Conflict: Gender Based Violence

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle violence against women and girls in conflict zones.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Tackling gender-based violence (GBV) is a priority for the UK, including in conflict zones. We have committed £60 million to the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative, including to the development of international guidance such as the Murad Code and support to survivors. At the Global Refugee Forum in December 2023, we pledged £2 million to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women to tackle violence in crisis situations, including conflict. In November we announced a new £15 million programme to prevent and respond to GBV in Somalia. We will continue to prioritise efforts to address the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and girls.

Gaza: British Nationals Abroad

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent estimate he has made of the number of British nationals in Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The safety and security of all British nationals remains our utmost priority and we are doing everything we can to support all British nationals, including dual nationals in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We can confirm that more than 300 people registered with us, including British Nationals and their dependants, have left Gaza with onward support to Cairo. We are working with the Israeli and Egyptian authorities to ensure any remaining British nationals that want to leave are cleared to cross as soon as possible. We are not in a position to comment on specific remaining numbers.

Ukraine: Ammunition

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with NATO counterparts on (a) production and (b) procurement of air defence munitions for Ukraine.

Leo Docherty: We regularly discuss Defence Industrial production and procurement matters with NATO counterparts. At the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting on 28-29 November 2023, the Foreign Secretary pressed for Allies to increase Defence Industrial production in support of Ukraine. In his meeting with the US Secretary of State on 7 December, the Foreign Secretary pressed for the continued provision of equipment and munitions to Ukraine.

Burundi: LGBT+ People and Minority Groups

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with the government of Burundi on (a) internal and regional security and (b) human rights for (i) the LGBT+ community and (ii) other minority groups.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We welcome the Government of Burundi's stated commitment to improving the human rights situation and the recent steps taken which demonstrate progress in this regard. However, President Ndayishimiye's recent comments on the LGBT+ community risk undermining this positive trajectory. In 2022 and 2023 the UK co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council's Resolutions on Burundi, which urged the full implementation of the recommendations made by the Special Rapporteur and the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi in their reports. The UK Government welcomes greater engagement with Burundi on political and social inclusion as Burundi's political trajectory continues to improve.

Israel: Palestinians

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the Answer of 13 July 2020 to Question 68798, whether his Department has recorded any incidents on its tracker database of alleged breaches or violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza in the last six months.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We continue to closely monitor the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including with reference to alleged breaches or violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Gaza. The UK supports Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas, but we are also clear that Israel must comply with IHL and protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza. We consistently raise this in our engagements with senior Israeli officials, including in the Prime Minister's discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Foreign Secretary's recent calls with the Foreign Minister and Ron Dermer, the Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs.

Ethiopia: Somaliland

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with (a) his counterpart in Ethiopia, (b) his counterpart in Somalia, (c) authorities in Somaliland, (d) the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, (e) the African Union, (f) other states and (g) other international organisations on the Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland of 1 January 2024; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that agreement on (i) regional security and (ii) the status of Somaliland.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO notes the announcement of a Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland, which suggests that Ethiopia will recognise Somaliland's independence in return for the lease of territory. We are concerned by escalating tensions in the Horn of Africa and are engaging with all relevant parties through our posts in the region to call for calm and encourage dialogue. The UK has reaffirmed its respect for Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and we are aware of statements from the countries and regional bodies referenced in the question. The UK's position remains that the settlement of Somaliland's status is for Somalia and Somaliland to resolve through a consultative process.

Bilateral Aid: Gender Based Violence

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much bilateral aid spending his Department used to address violence against women and girls between December 2022 and December 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Ending violence against women and girls overseas remains a top priority for the Government. In 2022, £75.1 million of UK bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) was spent on tackling violence against women and girls. This is likely to be an underestimation as some humanitarian and other sectoral programmes also work to prevent and respond to violence, but are not captured in these figures. Data for multilateral ODA spend in 2022, and for bilateral spend in 2023, will be published in due course.

Gaza: Israel

Andy McDonald: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the comments on the destruction of the whole of Gaza by the Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom on 3 January 2024.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: As the Foreign Secretary has said publicly, Israel has the right to defend itself but, in so doing, it must abide by International Humanitarian Law (IHL). We have pressed Israel, including in the Prime Minister's discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu and in engagements with senior Israeli officials, including the Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom: to ensure its campaign complies with IHL; to allow aid to enter Gaza; to end settler violence and hold perpetrators to account; and to work with the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross to improve the desperate humanitarian situation.It is vital that all parties ensure that their actions minimise harm to civilians. The UK welcomes the adoption of UNSCR 2720, which calls for expanded humanitarian access in Gaza. The resolution also calls for steps towards a sustainable ceasefire, reflecting the recent calls from the Foreign Secretary. We want to see a peaceful resolution to this conflict as soon as possible and the UK will work with international partners to ensure the implementation of this resolution.

Jerusalem: Cultural Heritage

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will (a) make an assessment of the implications for his policies of and (b) introduce sanctions following the attempted takeover of the Cows Garden site of the Armenian Quarter of Old Jerusalem.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Gaza: Israel

Andrew Selous: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on (a) the raid by Israel Defence Forces on the premises of Action around Bethlehem Children with Disability in Gaza on 3 January 2024 and (b) the destruction of paperwork and the removal of children's clothing; and whether he has held discussions with his Israeli counterpart on this matter.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what estimate he has made of how much UK aid has reached people in the northern Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Gaza: Israel

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that individuals are held to account for alleged human rights violations in the conflict in Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Israel: Gaza

Andy McDonald: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent steps his Department has taken to comply with its duties under Articles I and VIII of the Genocide Convention in the context of the war in Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Israel: Gaza

Andy McDonald: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the comments on imposing a complete siege on Gaza by Israeli Defence Minister on 9 October 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Justice

Criminal Proceedings: Victims

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the rate of victims of crime dropping out of criminal proceedings.

Laura Farris: Supporting victims within the criminal justice system is a top priority for the government. The government recognises that lengthy delays in court proceedings can exacerbate the challenges faced by victims and increase the likelihood of dropouts. We are actively recruiting up to 1,000 judges across all jurisdictions in the current financial year, emphasising our commitment to reducing waiting times. We funded over 100,000 sitting days last financial year and plan to deliver the same again this financial year to ensure we can hear more cases and tackle the outstanding caseload. The continued use of 24 Nightingale courtrooms into the 2023/24 financial year further demonstrates our dedication to addressing capacity challenges and expediting the legal process. The government is committed to providing robust support systems for victims throughout the court process. Our recent initiatives include the full rollout of pre-recorded cross-examination (Section 28) for victims of sexual and modern slavery offences across all Crown Court locations in England and Wales. This allows victims to provide evidence in a less intimidating environment, reducing the emotional strain associated with live courtroom trials. In December 2022, we launched a new 24/7 support line for victims of rape and sexual abuse, providing free, confidential emotional support to help victims cope with the challenges they may face during proceedings. The government is also quadrupling funding for victim and witness support services by 2024/25, up from £41 million in 2009/10. This includes additional ringfenced funding to increase the number of Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) by 300, to over 1,000, by 2024/25 - a 43% increase on the number of ISVAs and IDVAs. This year (2023/24), we are providing £38 million of ringfenced funding for ISVAs and IDVAs. We know the support available from ISVAs and IDVAs make victims almost 50% more likely to stay engaged with the criminal justice process. The Victims and Prisoners Bill, reintroduced last November carried over from the previous session, encompasses measures designed to improve the overall experience of victims in the criminal justice system, supporting them to cope, recover and see justice done. The Bill introduces a duty on local commissioners in England to collaborate in commissioning support services for victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse and serious violence, and introduces a requirement for statutory guidance about support roles such as ISVAs and IDVAs, ensuring a more cohesive and effective support provision.

Ministry of Justice: Feltham and Heston

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) schemes and (b) grants their Department administers that are open for (i) individuals, (ii) organisations and (iii) other groups in Feltham and Heston constituency to apply for as of 10 January 2024.

Mike Freer: There are no schemes or grants identified as open to apply for as of 10 January 2024 in Feltham and Heston constituency.All opportunities are advertised on Find a Grant.The following link provides information about the status of current and future procurement opportunities with the Ministry of Justice: Ministry of Justice Commercial Pipeline - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Alternatives to Prosecution

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he made of the adequacy of the use of out-of-court disposals to support individuals with health vulnerabilities.

Edward Argar: In October 2021, the Ministry of Justice commissioned RAND Europe, Get the Data, and Skills for Justice to conduct a study on how Police use Out of Court Disposals (OOCDs) to support adults with health vulnerabilities. The study aimed to improve the use of OOCDs with conditions attached which address mental health and other health related vulnerabilities and improve data collection methods to monitor their use and enable potential further research in the future to explore their effectiveness. Evidence from this study is helping inform policy and practice to support effective working between Police, NHS, and other service providers. The research report will be published on GOV.UK. Additionally, based on learning from the study, several police practice guides will also be published. For youth offenders, Youth Offending Teams should be involved throughout the OOCD process and include specialists who can support children with health vulnerabilities. In April 2023, we introduced ten new Youth Justice Key Performance Indicators which include, for the first time, data on OOCDs, mental health and emotional wellbeing, and substance misuse. The Youth Justice Board have committed to publishing initial findings in Spring 2025.

Ministry of Justice:  Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many government procurement cards were held by people to make purchases against his Department’s budget as of (a) 31 December 2022, (b) 31 March 2023 and (c) 31 December 2023.

Mike Freer: There were the following number of cards which could be used to make purchases against the Department’s budget: DateNumber of active cards31 December 2022121931 March 2023131031 December 20231286

Legal Aid Scheme: Universal Credit

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of removing access to legal aid for people who lose their entitlement to Universal Credit under measures announced in the Autumn statement on such people.

Mike Freer: I refer the (hon.) Member for York Central to the answer I gave on 12 December 2023 to questions 5538 and 5539 here.

Parole: Reviews

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Parole Board on the process for reviewing sentences of imprisonment for public protection.

Edward Argar: I regularly meet with the Chair and CEO of the Parole Board and have discussed changes proposed in the Victims and Prisoners Bill. The Parole Board is also represented on the IPP External Stakeholder Challenge Group, which meets quarterly and is chaired by an Executive Director within HMPPS. The Group was established to enable representatives of independent bodies and organisations to feed into the IPP Progression Board and hold HMPPS to account for its delivery of the IPP Action Plan.

Probation Service

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling the probation service to share caseloads between regions.

Edward Argar: The Probation Service supervises both offenders serving community sentences and offenders released from custody who are subject to licence conditions or other types of post-release supervision. The legislation underpinning both types of sentence requires a single officer to own and be responsible for the supervision of that case. The cases are allocated to a practitioner in the Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) in the area in which an offender resides, because of the importance of regular and consistent contact between the offender and their supervisor for managing risk and supporting rehabilitation. However, other staff can support the supervisor in delivering the sentence. Within PDUs, other practitioners and administrative staff may deliver particular tasks such as referrals to other organisations, report writing or letters to the offender. The Probation Service has experience of such support being delivered beyond PDU boundaries when there are acute pressures. However, the ownership of the case remains with the relevant region.

Oakhill Secure Training Centre: Girls

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many girls have been placed at the Oakhill secure training centre in the last 12 months.

Edward Argar: Secure training centres are custodial establishments for children and young people under the age of 18. During the period December 2022 to November 2023, there were 14 placements of girls at Oakhill Secure Training Centre.

Prisoners: Ethnic Groups

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people of each ethnicity are serving a determinate prison sentence of 20 years or more.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people of what religion from each ethnic group were in prison on 30 September 2023.

Edward Argar: The data requested are in the tables attached.Table 1 (xlsx, 18.3KB)Table 2 (xlsx, 18.5KB)

Prisons: Contracts for Services

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) current and (b) expired contracts were agreed for the operation of each prison in the last 10 years; who the providers were for each contract; and what the (i) start and (ii) end date was for each contract.

Edward Argar: The information requested is provided in the table below. ExpiredFive WellsParcLowdham GrangeFosse WayAltcourseContractorn/a (new build)Bridgend Custodial Services Ltd (G4S Operator)Sercon/a (new build)Fazakerley Prison Services Ltd (G4S Operator)Commencement Date (Signed Date)04-Jan-9607-Nov-9620-Dec-95Services Commencement Date15-Dec-9716-Feb-9801-Dec-97Contract End Date14-Dec-2215-Feb-2331-May-23  ExistingFive WellsParcLowdham GrangeFosse WayAltcourseContractorG4SG4SSodexoSercoSodexoCommencement Date (Signed Date)20-Nov-2014-Jun-2212-Aug-2215-Feb-2222-Dec-22Services Commencement Date04-Feb-2215-Dec-2216-Feb-2329-May-2301-Jun-23Contract End Date03-Feb-3214-Dec-3215-Feb-3328-May-3331-May-33

Ministry of Justice: Annual Reports

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to footnote 50 on page 58 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts for 2022/23, HC 13, published on 28 November 2023, what the nature was of the historic erroneous data that required correction; and where the corrected data can be found.

Edward Argar: Following the position reported in previous Annual Report and Accounts, further verification and internal review of data received from suppliers, may result in the historic figures being updated. The values shown in the 2022-23 account are correct as at the date the accounts were laid.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Staff

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to publish regular data on the number of NHS staff working in each (a) speciality and (b) profession.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Service workforce statistics for England, these cover staff working in National Health Service trusts and other core NHS organisations. The publication includes data on the number of staff working in each profession and numbers of doctors working in each medical specialty. The information is published monthly, and the data is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics

Obesity: Surgery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many procedures for (a) gastric band, (b) gastric bypass, (c) sleeve gastrectomy, (d) duodenal switch and (e) other bariatric surgeries were carried out in 2023.

Andrew Stephenson: The total number of finished consultant episodes carried out in the 2022/23 reporting period was:- 48 for gastric band;- 2,568 for gastric bypass;- 2,231 for sleeve gastrectomy;- 15 for duodenal switch; and- 1,592 for other bariatric surgeries.

NHS: Drugs

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Fourth Report of the House of Lords Public Services Committee, Session 2022-23, entitled Homecare medicines services: an opportunity lost, HL Paper 269, what his position is in respect of the recommendation that following the interim findings of the NHS England review, and by no later than April 2024, the Government should establish and fund an independent review into the homecare system.

Andrew Stephenson: We are carefully considering all the conclusions and recommendations made in the report and will respond to the Committee shortly.

Obesity: Surgery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for (a) gastric band, (b) gastric bypass, (c) sleeve gastrectomy, (d) duodenal switch and (e) other bariatric surgeries.

Andrew Stephenson: The elective recovery plan set clear ambitions to eliminate long waits for planned National Health Service treatment. To help achieve this goal, NHS England trusts and organisations have been transforming the way they deliver elective care through initiatives focussed on increasing activity, managing demand and increasing productivity.This includes driving productivity through the development of new surgical hubs to increase theatre productivity, and as of December 2023 there are 94 hubs in operation carrying out surgeries.

Parkinson's Disease: Health Services

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan on regional variations in access to Parkinson’s care.

Andrew Stephenson: No assessment has been made. The Long Term Workforce Plan, which was published in June 2023, includes projections for the number of doctors, nurses and other professionals that will be needed over the next 15 years.It sets out the mix and number of staff required, as well as the actions and reforms across the National Health Service that will be needed to reduce the supply gap and improve retention. This plan will help ensure we have the right numbers of staff, with the right skills and roles, in the right locations and at the right time, to transform and deliver high-quality services fit for the future.The modelling and staff training plans presented in the Plan look at the NHS as a whole at a high level, to inform government decisions on the workforce. This is designed to identify the right supply of staff across all clinical pathways and specialisms rather than workforce plans for specific services.

Cancer

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it her policy to develop a specific strategy on (a) research, (b) early diagnosis and (c) treatment for less survivable cancers.

Andrew Stephenson: We currently do not have such plans. Making improvements across different cancer types is critical to helping achieve the NHS Long Term Plan ambition of diagnosing 75% of patients at an early stage by 2028 and reducing inequalities in cancer survival. Through NHS England, the Government is taking steps to improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with less survivable cancers.The planned Major Conditions Strategy will look at the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Strategy will look at a wide range of interventions and enablers to improve outcomes and experience for a range of cancer patients.NHS England has commissioned new cancer clinical audits covering five cancer types, some of which are less survivable: pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, kidney cancer and primary and metastatic breast cancer. All five audits will cover care delivered in England and Wales and will see an investment of approximately £5.4 million for an initial period of three years.The NHS ‘Help Us, Help You’ (HUHY) cancer campaigns increase awareness of cancer symptoms and encourage people to get checked. Some campaigns focus on specific symptoms linked to less survivable cancers, such as the HUHY abdominal and urological symptoms campaign, while others focus on fear as a barrier to help-seeking, which is relevant to all cancer types.

Neuromuscular Disorders: Hydrotherapy

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the (a) availability of and (b) access to hydrotherapy for people living with long-term neurological conditionsin (i) Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle constituency and (ii) the UK.

Andrew Stephenson: Health services are commissioned locally by integrated care boards, which are best placed to make decisions regarding the provision of health services, including hydrotherapy for people living with long-term neurological conditions, to their local population, subject to local prioritisation and funding. These commissioning arrangements apply in England only given that health is a devolved issue.

Members: Correspondence

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 1 September, (b) 2 October, (c) 2 November and (d) 7 December 2023 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay, case reference JB42596.

Andrea Leadsom: We replied to this correspondence and its three chasers on 21 December 2023. With apologies, this case was delayed as part of our continued backlog of cases following the pandemic and we are currently working through an urgent recovery plan to resolve this.

Mental Health Services: Veterans

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to improve mental health support for veterans and their families.

Maria Caulfield: All members of the Armed Forces Community, including veterans’ families, can access mainstream National Health Service mental health support services. The Government is investing at least an additional £2.3 billion a year, as part of the NHS Long Term Plan, in expanding and transforming NHS mental health services by 2023-24. This will allow an extra 2 million people to get the NHS-funded mental health support they need.In England, NHS England commission Op COURAGE which is the veterans’ mental health and wellbeing service providing a comprehensive mental health treatment pathway to respond to veterans’ needs. Access to Op COURAGE is via referral or by direct contact from veterans. A campaign to raise awareness of Op COURAGE launched on 9 January 2024.Additionally, the government is providing an additional £10 million to support the Veterans’ Places, People and Pathways Programme to increase support to a significant community of vulnerable veterans throughout the UK and enable it to become self-sustaining.NHS England has also commissioned eight Op COMMUNITY pilots within NHS Integrated Care Systems to provide a single point of contact based in local Integrated Care Systems for Armed Forces community families and help support those who have recently moved into the area and need to transfer their care. This includes support to access mental health services.

Continuing Care: Finance

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department plans to take to increase awareness of continuing healthcare funding.

Helen Whately: Public information leaflets are already available on the GOV.uk website in English and six additional languages explaining the process used to determine whether someone is eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC), with more information available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-continuing-healthcare-and-nhs-funded-nursing-care-public-information-leafletAny individual being considered for CHC at the screening or referral stage should be provided with this leaflet along with any relevant local information about processes and contact details and arrangements. NHS England has commissioned an Information and Advice Service for CHC from Beacon to provide independent and high-quality support on navigating CHC assessments, resolution and care planning or to begin an appeal. Individuals can also enquire about CHC by contacting their general practitioner or integrated care board. More information on this service is available at the following link:https://beaconchc.co.uk/how-we-can-help/free-information-and-advice-on-nhs-continuing-healthcare/

Air Pollution

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 24 May 2023 to Question 185749, what progress she has made on (a) increasing the evidence base, (b) supporting stakeholders and (c) improving awareness and understanding of indoor air quality in 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care collaborates across Government to help ensure a joined-up approach on Government actions concerning indoor air quality. It has worked with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to design new consolidated guidance on damp and mould aimed at private and social rented landlords, including quantification of the respiratory burden of disease in England from exposure to damp and mould in housing. The guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/damp-and-mould-understanding-and-addressing-the-health-risks-for-rented-housing-providers The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published the Health Effects of Climate Change report which provides evidence on the impact of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies on indoor environmental quality and health. UKHSA supports research and are co-funding and supervising PhD projects to develop evidence on the factors that affect personal exposure. The report is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-health-effects-in-the-uk The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with stakeholders and organisations to provide scientific input, using expert knowledge and experience on indoor air quality in relation to public health and to approve awareness.

Air Pollution

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress her Department has made on implementing the 15 recommendations in the Chief Medical Officer's annual report 2022: Air Pollution published on 8 December 2022.

Maria Caulfield: The Government recognises that there is more to do to protect people and the environment from the effects of air pollution, including in some of the areas outlined in the Chief Medical Officer's Annual Report 2022. The Department of Health and Social Carecontinues to work collaboratively work across Government to address the impact of air pollution.We are taking significant and wide-ranging action to drive improvements to air quality as set out in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Environmental Improvement Plan. The UK Health Security Agency’s Cleaner Air Programme also aims to help reduce people’s exposure to air pollution, tackle disparities in exposure and improve outcomes for all.

Air Pollution

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department’s policies of UK Parliament's publication entitled POSTbrief54 Indoor Air Quality, published on 26 September 2023.

Maria Caulfield: No specific policy assessment has been made. However, as set out in the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2022 on air pollution, there is good evidence on the health risks associated with poor air quality, including indoor air. The Department continues to work collaboratively across government on both outdoor and indoor air quality.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance on indoor air pollution in 2020. This was designed to raise awareness of the importance of good air quality in people's homes and advise on how to achieve this.

Continuing Care: Finance

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of applications for NHS continuing healthcare funding in (a) Darlington constituency and (b) the rest of England were approved following an appeal.

Helen Whately: The most recent data available on Local Resolution and Independent Reviews, which review the eligibility of NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) decisions, is for the second quarter of 2023/24, representing July to September 2023. For the second quarter of 2023/24 in England, 102 of 554 or 18% of requests for local review of an eligibility decision for CHC were found eligible. For the same time period in England, there were 102 independent review panels carried out. Of those, 17 cases or 17% were determined as fully eligible, and 5 cases or 5% were determined as partially eligible. NHS England does not collect these data at individual constituency level.

Dementia: Continuing Care

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of people diagnosed with dementia in (a) Darlington constituency and (b) the rest of England are in receipt of continuing healthcare as of 8 January 2023.

Helen Whately: NHS England does not collect data on how many individuals in receipt of NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) have a diagnosis of dementia. Assessment of CHC eligibility is based on a comprehensive assessment of care needs rather than any specific medical condition, disease or diagnosis.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) men who have sex with men, (b) women, (c) Black men and (d) Black women that were accessing PrEP in England in (i) 2021, (ii) 2022 and (iii) 2023.

Andrea Leadsom: Data for 2023 is not yet available and is to be published in autumn of 2024. The following table shows the number of people in 2021 and 2022 who initiated or continued HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) at sexual health services (SHSs) in England in the past two years for the demographic groups requested, as well as the proportion among those with HIV PrEP need: 20212022England61,510 (69.7%)86,324(71.0%)Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men51,689 (72.2%)72,457 (73.5%)Women1,237 (31.5%)2,467 (41.9%)Black men (black African, black Caribbean and black other categories)2,408 (61.7%)2,986 (61.7%)Black women (black African, black Caribbean and black other categories)80 (19.0%)175 (30.2%) More data is available at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hiv-annual-data-tableshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hiv-monitoring-and-evaluation-framework/hiv-action-plan-monitoring-and-evaluation-framework#main-messages

Dental Services: Portsmouth

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made a recent estimate of the average waiting time for a dentist appointment for residents of Portsmouth.

Andrea Leadsom: Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. NHS dentists hold a contract to provide NHS dentistry. Therefore, there is no centrally held record of an average waiting time for a dentist appointment.

Oral Tobacco: Young People

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of high-profile use of snus on young people's health.

Andrea Leadsom: Snus is banned in the United Kingdom and we have no plans to introduce additional tobacco products to the UK market. Alternative tobacco-free products exist, such as nicotine pouches, which are sometimes referred to as snus. Research suggests that, although nicotine pouch use is low among adults, with 0.26% or 1 in 400 users in Great Britain, it is increasingly popular with younger male audiences. We will continue to monitor the evidence on these products.In our recent consultation, Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping, the Government explored whether further regulatory measures are needed for other nicotine consumer products such as nicotine pouches. The consultation closed on 6 December 2023 and we will publish a consultation response shortly.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in each of the last five years.

Maria Caulfield: The information requested is shown in the attached tables.Tables PQ8738 (xlsx, 25.4KB)

Members: Correspondence

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for South Shields of 2 November 2023.

Andrea Leadsom: We replied to this correspondence on 21 December 2023. With apologies, this case was delayed as part of our continued backlog of cases following the pandemic and we are currently working through an urgent recovery plan to resolve this.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many individual funding requests for (a) IVF and (b) other fertility treatment have been (i) made and (ii) approved in each of the last five years.

Maria Caulfield: This information is not held centrally.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate she has made of when the HIV action plan implementation steering group will publish its PrEP roadmap.

Andrea Leadsom: The roadmap to help guide our efforts to improve equitable access, uptake and use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is now expected to be made available in early 2024.

Dental Services and Oral Cancer

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential relationship between oral cancer detection rates and the availability of dentists.

Andrea Leadsom: Every dental check-up constitutes as an oral cancer screening. The NHS Dental statistics for England, 2022-23, Annual report highlights that 1.8 million adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the 24 months up to 30 June 2023, with 24,151 dentists performing NHS activity during 2022/23.NHS England’s comprehensive Early Diagnosis strategy is based on six core strands of activity, from raising awareness of cancer symptoms and encouraging people to come forward, to implementing targeted interventions for particular cancer types that we know have previously experienced later stages of diagnosis, including oral cancers.We encourage people to get in touch with their general practitioner if they notice or are worried about symptoms that could be cancer. NHS England is running the ‘Help Us, Help You’ (HUHY) campaign, which seeks to address the barriers that are deterring patients from accessing the NHS. The current HUHY campaign is focused on addressing fear of cancer as a barrier to presentation across all cancer types.

Dental Services

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to publish the Dentistry Recovery Plan.

Andrea Leadsom: We are working on our Dentistry Recovery Plan, to be published shortly, which will address how we continue to improve access, particularly for new patients; and how we make National Health Service work more attractive to ensure NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver NHS care.Our Dentistry Recovery Plan will build upon the first package of reforms agreed in July 2022, which included changes to banding and the introduction of a minimum Units of Dental Activity value.

Dentistry: Recruitment

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dentists have been recruited since the launch of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

Andrea Leadsom: Since the launch of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan on 30 June 2023, there has been an increase of 1,144 dentists registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) in England. From 15 January 2023 to 15 December 2023 there has been an increase of 1,423 dentists registered with the GDC in England.The Long Term Workforce Plan sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. The focus is not short-term recruitment but putting workforce on a sustainable footing for the long term.We will expand dentistry training places by 40% so that there are over 1,100 places by 2031/32. To support this ambition, we will expand places by 24% by 2028/29, taking the overall number that year to 1,000 places.

Dental Health: Children

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate she has made of the number of children admitted to hospital because of dental related emergencies in the last year.

Andrea Leadsom: In 2022/23, 29,318 children aged between five and 17 years old admitted to hospital had the primary diagnosis of tooth decay. The available data does not identify planned and emergency admissions separately.We are working on our Dentistry Recovery Plan which will address how we continue to improve access, particularly for new patients; and how we make National Health Service work more attractive to ensure NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver more NHS care.

Dental Services

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of dentists taking on new patients compared to patient demand.

Andrea Leadsom: National Health Service dental activity as measured by Courses of Treatments delivered has increased by 23% between 2021/22 and 2022/23. NHS dentists are now required to update their NHS website profiles regularly, to ensure patients have access to up-to-date information on where they can access care. From 1 April 2023, the commissioning responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. ICBs became responsible for having local processes in place to involve patient groups, and for undertaking oral health needs assessments, to identify areas of need and determine the priorities for investment.

Dentistry: Incentives

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of incentives for dentists to work in areas with the most urgent needs.

Andrea Leadsom: We acknowledge that there are areas of the country that are experiencing recruitment and retention issues and we are taking steps to address the workforce challenges across the country. We are working on our Dentistry Recovery Plan, to be published shortly, which will address how we continue to improve access, particularly for new patients; and how we make National Health Service work more attractive to ensure NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver NHS care.

Dentistry: Labour Turnover and Recruitment

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help improve (a) recruitment and (b) retention of dentists.

Andrea Leadsom: As set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, we are going to increase dentistry training places by 40% so that there are over 1,100 places by 2031/32. To support this ambition, we will expand places 24% by 2028/29, taking the overall number that year to 1,000 places.As the Workforce Plan sets out, the National Health Service and the Government will explore whether a tie-in would ensure that dentists spend a greater proportion of their time delivering NHS dental care.We are working on our Dentistry Recovery Plan, to be published shortly, which will address how we continue to improve access, particularly for new patients; and how we make NHS work more attractive to ensure NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver NHS care.

Diabetes: Ethnic Groups

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Black and South Asian communities.

Andrew Stephenson: Given the inequalities in who develops Type 2 diabetes and the poorer outcomes for those of south Asian and black ethnicity, the National Health Service has established a focused engagement campaign, using social media and more traditional approaches, to raise awareness and boost uptake from these groups. A Quality and Outcomes Framework also includes an indicator for annual review of those at risk of Type 2 diabetes in general practice.The NHS Long Term plan has committed to providing a targeted support offer and access to weight management services in primary care is available for people with a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension, with a body mass index over 30, which is adjusted appropriately for ethnicity.

Prescription Drugs

Mark Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress her Department has made on consulting on proposed amendments to Part IX of the Drug Tariff; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed amendments on (a) the medical technology ecosystem, (b) innovation relating to the the Life Sciences Vision and (c) the wider UK economy.

Mark Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on implementing its proposals to Part IX of the Drug Tariff; and what steps he is taking to engage the health and care sector on this work.

Andrew Stephenson: A targeted consultation on Medical Devices in Primary Care: Proposals for updating Part IX of the Drug Tariff-medical devices available for prescribing in primary care was issued on 6 October 2023. The consultation on Part IX of the Drug Tariff sets out a series of proposals to modernise Part IX of the Drug Tariff. The objectives of the proposals are to ensure Part IX consistently includes devices that are of good quality and effectiveness; ensure that the Tariff product list is refreshed going forward and existing and new products are only adopted or continued to be used if able to demonstrate value to the National Health Service and patients; and update processes on Part IX applications to support the adoption of innovation that can improve patient outcomes and the quality of life for patients. The consultation was fully closed for responses at 4 January 2024. The Department is considering all the responses before finalising any proposed amendments to Part IX of the Drug Tariff. Therefore, the Department will share a response to the consultation and an updated assessment of the impacts in due course. In forming the proposals, that have been consulted on, the department has had extensive engagement with industry, the health and care sector, NHS commissioners and patient representative groups. There will be further engagement with these stakeholders for any amendments to Part IX that are taken forward.

Ophthalmic Services

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that patients with eye conditions from historically underserved communities can access new treatments as they become available.

Andrea Leadsom: Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning secondary eye care services to meet local needs and have a duty under the Health and Care Act 2022 to reduce inequalities. Where a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal recommends a medicine or treatment, the National Health Service is legally required to fund them and where NICE guidance is not available, we would expect commissioners to have regard to clinical advice and available evidence.

Physician Associates: Labour Turnover

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to increase the retention of physician associates in the NHS in (a) areas with high staff turnover and (b) other areas.

Andrew Stephenson: The NHS People Plan and the People Promise set out a comprehensive range of actions to improve staff retention. They provide a strong focus on creating a more modern, compassionate and inclusive National Health Service culture by strengthening health and wellbeing, equality and diversity, culture and leadership and flexible working.The NHS priorities and operational planning guidance 23/24 has asked systems to refresh their 2022/23 whole system workforce plans to improve staff retention through a systematic focus on all elements of the NHS People Promise. Staff wellbeing should be strategically aligned with elective recovery plans, including workforce demand and capacity planning. In addition, the NHS Retention Programme is continuously seeking to understand why staff leave, resulting in targeted interventions to support staff to stay whilst keeping them well.The Long Term Workforce Plan builds on the People Plan and sets out how to improve culture and leadership to ensure that up to 130,000 fewer staff leave the NHS over the next 15 years. This includes: implementing actions from the NHS People Plan that have been shown to be successful; implementing plans to improve flexible opportunities for prospective retirees and delivering the actions needed to modernise the NHS pension scheme; and committing to ongoing national funding for continuing professional development for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals, so NHS staff are supported to meet their full potential.These retention initiatives apply across the country and to all staff groups, including physician associates.

Health Services: Children

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children have been waiting for medical procedures for longer than (a) 126 days and (b) 365 days in Feltham and Heston constituency.

Andrew Stephenson: The information requested is not available at a constituency level.

Physician Associates: Recruitment

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to recruit physician associates to the NHS in (a) primary and (b) secondary care settings.

Andrew Stephenson: The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP) sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years.The Plan will focus on expanding enhanced, advanced, and associate roles to offer modernised careers, with a stronger emphasis on the generalist and core skills needed to care for patients with multimorbidity, frailty or mental health needs. This includes setting an ambition to grow the proportion of staff in these newer roles from approximately 1% to 5% in the next 15 years. As part of this, we will increase physician associate training places to over 1,500 by 2031/32. Over 1,200 physician associates (PAs) will be trained per year from 2023/24, increasing to over 1,400 a year in 2027/28 and 2028/29, establishing a workforce of 10,000 PAs by 2036/37. At a local level, NHS organisations are best placed to determine their own recruitment needs, informed by their workforce, service and financial planning and ensuring there is sufficient skilled workforce in both primary and secondary care settings.

Syringes: Standards

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the US Food and Drug Administration safety communication Evaluating Plastic Syringes Made in China for Potential Device Failures, issued on 30 November 2023, whether her Department is undertaking a similar evaluation of syringes.

Andrew Stephenson: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is aware of the issues raised by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concerning quality control and design problems with plastic syringes manufactured in China. Whist the MHRA works on the basis that CE or UKCA marked plastic syringes originally produced in China are in use within the United Kingdom healthcare system, one of the main suppliers of plastic syringes into the UK healthcare system, Becton, Dickinson and Company, has confirmed that their products are not affected by this issue.Medical device safety issues may affect different global regions to varying extents. Whilst awareness and active information exchange between regulators is critical to focus national investigations, regulatory action is taken based on UK relevant evidence. Device safety corrective actions communicated via so-called Field Safety Notices (FSNs) related to the specific problems highlighted in the FDA alert have not been issued in the UK. FSNs issued in the UK are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/drug-device-alertsThe MHRA is an active member of the International Medical Device Safety group. Representatives of regulatory authorities across the world meet on a regular basis to discuss emerging safety issues related to medical devices. The current issue was identified and MHRA are closely monitoring the situation. At this stage, there is insufficient evidence to justify actions against specific manufacturers of these products supplying into the UK.

Diabetes: Health Services

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle disparities in diabetes care (a) access and (b) treatment for people living in low socioeconomic areas.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government continues to support local authorities to make provision for the NHS Health Check, England’s flagship cardiovascular disease prevention programme.The programme aims to prevent heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, and some cases of dementia among adults aged between 40 and 74 years old. Each year, the programme engages over one million people.A review of the programme in 2021 found that there were higher rates of NHS Health Check attendance among people over 55, women, black African and Asian ethnic groups. Across all ethnic groups, attendance is lowest amongst people in the most deprived decile.The NHS Long Term Plan committed to providing a weight management services for people with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes or hypertension and with a body mass index of 30 or higher, adjusted appropriately for ethnicity.Diabetes is also one of six major groups of conditions that we aim to tackle through the Major Conditions Strategy. The Strategy will set out the supporting and enabling interventions the centre can make to ensure that integrated care systems and the organisations within them maximise the opportunities to tackle clusters of disadvantage in their local areas where they exist. This will include addressing unwarranted variation in outcomes and the care people receive in the context of the recovery from the pandemic.

Health Services: Leicestershire

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure adequate staffing levels within NHS organisations across Leicester and Leicestershire.

Andrew Stephenson: The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP), published on 30 June 2023, sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. It will put the workforce on a sustainable footing for the long term. The Government is backing the plan with over £2.4 billion over the next five years to fund additional education and training places. This is on top of increases to education and training investment, reaching a record £6.1 billion over the next two years. By significantly expanding domestic education, training and recruitment, we will have more healthcare professionals working in the NHS. This will include more doctors and nurses alongside an expansion in a range of other professions, including more staff working in new roles. The LTWP also commits to retaining our workforce, keeping up to 130,000 more staff in the NHS by improving culture, leadership and wellbeing. As of September 2023, there are currently 15,654 full time equivalent (FTE) staff working in University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. This is 1,143 or 7.9% more than this time last year. This includes 2,219 FTE doctors, 180 or 8.8% more than last year, and 3,998 FTE nurses, 349 or 9.6% more than last year.

Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Feltham and Heston

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) schemes and (b) grants their Department administers that are open for (i) individuals, (ii) organisations and (iii) other groups in Feltham and Heston constituency to apply for as of 10 January 2024.

Anthony Browne: The Department for Transport offers grants that are available for individuals, organisations, and groups, including those within the Feltham and Heston constituency. Information about these grants and the application process can be found on: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-government-grants and www.gov.uk.

Diesel Vehicles: Greater London

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 4772 on Diesel Vehicles: Greater London, how many diesel cars were registered for the first time in Greater London in (a) 2022 and (b) each month of 2023 that met the (i) Euro 6, (ii) Euro 5, (iii) Euro 4, (iv) Euro 3, (v) Euro 2 and (vi) Euro 1 engine emission standard.

Anthony Browne: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Department for Transport: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many purchases with a value of less than £500 were made against his Department’s budget using a Government procurement card (a) in calendar year 2022 and (b) from 1 January to 30 September 2023; and what was the total cost of those purchases.

Anthony Browne: The number of purchases with a value less than £500 made against the Department’s budget using a Government Procurement Card were:(a) in calendar year 2022: 8507(b) from 1 January to 30 September 2023: 6982  The cost of these purchases were:(a) in calendar year 2022: £399,719.55(b) from 1 January to 30 September 2023: £321,213.13

Department for Transport: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many government procurement cards were held by people to make purchases against his Department’s budget as of (a) 31 December 2022, (b) 31 March 2023 and (c) 31 December 2023.

Anthony Browne: The number of Government Procurement Cards allocated to individuals for making purchases against the Department's budget was:(a) As of December 31, 2022: 325(b) As of March 31, 2023: 336(c) As of December 31, 2023: 324

Cycling: Women

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage more women to cycle.

Guy Opperman: Active Travel England (ATE) provides £2 million per year to the Big Bike Revival project, which focuses cycling activities on underrepresented groups, such as women. In 2022/23, 59% of participants in Big Bike Revival were female. ATE also provides funding to local authorities to enable women and other underrepresented groups to increase levels of cycling through the Capability Fund. Design guidance for new infrastructure, such as that funded through the Active Travel Fund, requires that new schemes are accessible to all users, including women. Bids must demonstrate that the safety and confidence of women had been factored into the design of active travel schemes.

Wokingham Borough Council: Grants

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what grants were provided by his Department to Wokingham Borough Council in the (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24 financial year; and how much was awarded in each grant.

Anthony Browne: Wokingham Borough Council have received the following grants from the Department for Transport:GrantFY 2022-23FY 2023-24 to dateBus Recovery Grant – Local Transport Fund£225,225.24£131,792.39Enhanced Bus Partnership Capacity (Revenue) Grant 2022/23£171,000.00-Bus Service Improvement Plan£200,661.00£200,661.00Bus Service Operators Grant Local Authorities£111,461.00£111,461.00Local Authorities Capability Fund£127,359.00£63,680.00Local Authorities Infrastructure Fund£578,805.00£27,410.00On-street Residential Charge Point Scheme£130,125.00-Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Capability Fund£50,670£115,620Budget 2023 Maintenance Funding-£589,000Maintenance funding uplift from HS2 Euston savings-£418,000 Wokingham Borough Council was also allocated for 2022 to 2025 (3 years) the following grant awards: Pothole Fund £1.473m, Highways Maintenance Block £1.841m and Integrated Transport Block £0.740m.

Diesel Vehicles: Cars

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 6 December 2023 to Question 4770 on Diesel Vehicles: Cars, how many new diesel cars were registered for the first time to owners other than keepers in each region of England in (a) 2022 and (b) each month in 2023.

Anthony Browne: This information is not held.

Railways: Suffolk

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timetable is for the reallocation of HS2 funding to Network Rail for upgrading (a) Haughley and (b) Ely junctions.

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail on upgrading (a) Haughley and (b) Ely junctions.

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timetable is for the commencement of works upgrading (a) Haughley and (b) Ely junctions.

Huw Merriman: The Prime Minister's Network North announcement confirmed government support for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and upgrades to Haughley Junction. My officials have been engaging with their counterparts at Network Rail to consider next steps in progressing these important schemes and an update on next steps will be provided in due course.

Driving Licences: Applications

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the efficiency of the DVLA when processing driving licence applications for individuals (a) without and (b) with a medical condition.

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving licence applications are outstanding as of 10 January 2023.

Guy Opperman: On 10 January 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) had 61,766 non-medical and 134,292 medical driving licence applications currently being processed. This is within the normal volume of applications being processed by the DVLA at any one time and applications are being processed within normal turnaround times. It is important to note that the length of time taken to deal with a driving licence application where medical enquiries must be carried out very often depends on whether further information is required from a driver or their medical practitioners. The DVLA is often wholly reliant on receiving information from third parties, including doctors, before it can make a licensing decision. Currently, around half of driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated are awaiting further information from the applicant’s doctor or the applicant themselves before the DVLA can take any further action. The DVLA has made changes to the way licensing decisions have been made for drivers with certain medical conditions. The DVLA has also changed the law to allow medical professionals other than doctors to provide the information required for the DVLA to be able to progress these applications.

A120: Accidents

Sir Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road traffic accidents have occurred on the A120 between Horsley Cross and Harwich in each of the past five years; and if he will publish details of (a) the location, (b) fatalities and (c) serious injuries in each case.

Guy Opperman: The Department holds information on reported personal injury road collisions only.The number of reported personal injury road collisions on the A120 between Horsley Cross and Harwich between 2018 and 2022 (the last five years for which figures are available) can be found in the table below. Reported road collisions, A120 between Horsley Cross and Harwich, 2018 to 2022Source: DfT, STATS19YearCollisions20186201952020112021820226 The number of fatalities and seriously injured casualties on the A120 between Horsley Cross and Harwich between 2018 and 2022 can be found in the table below. Reported road casualties, A120 between Horsley Cross and Harwich, 2018 to 2022Source: DfT, STATS19YearFatalSerious (adjusted)201812201902202005202113202235 Data containing location and severity of all reported collisions and casualties involved is published at a record level on data.gov.uk.

Hammersmith Bridge: Repairs and Maintenance

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's planned timetable is for (a) its consideration of and (b) announcing its decision on the business case for the strengthening and restoration of Hammersmith Bridge.

Huw Merriman: The issue is being considered carefully and an announcement will be made in due course.

Hammersmith Bridge: Repairs and Maintenance

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress has been made on the stabilisation works on Hammersmith Bridge.

Huw Merriman: The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham reports that the stabilisation works are progressing well and are now nearing completion.

Hammersmith Bridge: Repairs and Maintenance

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an estimate of when Hammersmith Bridge will be reopened to (a) buses, (b) emergency service vehicles and (c) cars.

Huw Merriman: Hammersmith Bridge is expected to be reopened to all forms of motor vehicle following the completion of the second, ‘Strengthening’ stage of works. The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham – as the owner and lead for the Hammersmith Bridge project – has produced a business case for the second stage of works, which is currently being considered by the Government. The schedule for the ‘Strengthening’ works is under development.

Cycling

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support people not eligible for a Cycle to Work Scheme to take up cycling.

Guy Opperman: Active Travel England provides funding to local authorities and a range of national charities to increase levels of cycling. This includes £33 million provided in 2022/23 under the Capability Fund that can be used for local cycle loan and share schemes, e-cycle initiatives and cycling outreach programmes directed towards underrepresented groups. In addition, the Government has been trialling an £8 million national e-cycle programme to provide opportunities to try e-cycles through short term loans in a small number of locations.

Hammersmith Bridge: Repairs and Maintenance

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the introduction of a toll on Hammersmith Bridge as part of efforts to finance the strengthening works.

Huw Merriman: It is for the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham – the asset owner and lead for the Hammersmith Bridge project – to make suggestions of this sort, which will be considered in the usual way.

Hammersmith Bridge: Repairs and Maintenance

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's planned timetable is for the reopening of the Hammersmith Bridge carriageway to cyclists.

Huw Merriman: As the asset owner and project lead, decisions regarding the reopening of the Hammersmith Bridge is for the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to make.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Reservoirs

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Environment Agency has taken steps to ensure reservoirs can be filled during periods of heavy rain.

Robbie Moore: Reservoir licence holders can usually start abstracting when river flows reach a ‘hands off flow’ threshold designed to protect the river during dry periods. This year has been particularly wet, so flow thresholds were reached early and most abstractors have been able to fill their reservoirs. Some water companies, however, manage their reservoirs so they can capture excess water during flood periods. They may also reduce or cease pumping during floods when water quality is poor. Historically, agricultural reservoir licences allow abstraction during the winter months only (November to March). This is usually sufficient, but if farmers feel that they would benefit from a longer abstraction season or higher pumping rates then the EA would welcome applications to vary their licences. During the recent floods caused by Storm Babet, the EA allowed several farmers who had made requests to fill their reservoirs early, to take water before their licenced abstraction season had started. The EA is currently working on a Regulatory Position Statement to formalise this position. We are also taking the following measures to support the development of new reservoirs to capture high-flow water after heavy rainfall. Defra has run two rounds of funding for on-farm storage reservoirs and is currently planning a third.Government is funding a project to develop innovative Local Resource Options, like Felixstowe Hydrocycle, with a pilot planned for delivery in the spring.The EA has introduced ‘Water Abstraction e Alerts’ which helps abstractors capture high-flow water by sending them an email when thresholds are reached.

Reservoirs

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of reservoirs that were full as of 9 January 2024.

Robbie Moore: The Environment Agency publishes regular assessments of the current water situation on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/water-situation-reports-for-england). Individual water companies also publish their own reservoir levels on their respective websites. The latest information received by the Environment Agency from water companies for week ending 9 January 2024 indicates that stocks across England are overall 92% full. Across the 31 strategic reservoir or reservoir groups reported nationally, just over one third (39 percent) are completely full, and approximately two thirds (68 percent) are greater than 90 % full. Please note some online reservoirs are managed to enable them to capture excess water to reduce downstream flood risk during the winter period so will be managed to allow this to occur. The remaining reservoirs are either still being refilled, are undergoing planned operational maintenance which requires levels to be reduced to allow the work to be undertaken safely, or currently waiting for high turbidity levels associated with flood water to recede before pumping into them is resumed. Although, the Environment Agency doesn’t routinely collect individual farm reservoir storage information, working with the sector, notably the Water for Food Group which includes various Water Abstractor Groups and the NFU, within its membership, it has collated a representative snapshot of refill across England. Most of these reservoirs are full or are on track to be full (currently typically between 75-90% full) before the end of the licensed refill season, i.e. the end of March.

Agriculture: Flood Control

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support farmers in areas affected by flooding.

Robbie Moore: The Government announced a significant package of support, via the Flood Recovery Framework, to areas in England that have experienced exceptional localised flooding as a result of Storm Henck. Through the Framework farmers in eligible areas can access grants up to £5,000 per property to install Property Flood Resilience measures where they have internal flooding to homes or business premises. Farmers who have suffered uninsurable damage to their land because of the exceptional flooding will be able to apply for grants of up to £25,000 through the Farming Recovery Fund towards reinstatement costs, such as recultivation. Outside of this, insurance policies are available for farmers to protect them from the loss of a crop due to flooding. The Framework also provides funding for eligible households and businesses and includes a £2,500 Business Recovery Grant for SMEs, including farm businesses, which have suffered severe impacts from flooding that cannot be recovered from insurance, and Council Tax discounts.

Flood Control: Bassetlaw

Brendan Clarke-Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what remediation and flood prevention work his Department has carried out in (a) Worksop, (b) Retford and (c) the district of Bassetlaw in each of the last three years.

Robbie Moore: The Environment Agency are committed to better protecting Bassetlaw and the area remains a high priority for them. Environment Agency representatives will be meeting with the MP on 19 January 2024 to discuss flooding in his constituency and community drop-in events for constituents in Retford and Worksop are being planned for February. Updates will be sent to the MP once venues and dates have been decided. Worksop Since 2021 The Environment Agency have spent a total of £468,000 in Worksop on remediation and flood prevention work.£257,000 has been spent on routine & intermittent maintenance, consisting of grass cutting, weed cutting & spraying, maintenance of outfalls & penstocks, clearance of debris screens, tree and bush clearance and desilting at Ryton Place and Bracebridge to improve conveyance.Between 2023-2027, there is no current planned investment in capital schemes in Worksop itself. Retford Since 2021 The Environment Agency have spent a total of £603,000 in Retford on remediation and flood prevention work.£368,000 has been spent on routine & intermittent maintenance in Retford consisting of grass cutting, weed cutting & spraying, maintenance of outfalls & penstocks, clearance of debris screens, tree and bush clearance and Intermittent Works to improve Retford Beck Debris Screen.Between 2023-2027, £3.2m of Government Investment is currently planned for Retford. Bassetlaw Since 2021 The Environment Agency have spent a total of £1.6m in Bassetlaw (including the above figures) not including the routine & intermittent maintenance figures above.Between 2023-2027, £13m of Government Investment is planned to be invested in schemes in Bassetlaw.

Cork: Recycling

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to include natural cork in the list of materials to attract higher modulated fees under the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of higher modulated fees on the grounds of lower recyclability under the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on businesses (a) using and (b) producing (i) natural cork products and (ii) other materials subject to higher fees.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme, whether he has plans for (a) natural cork products and (b) products made from other natural materials to be moved to a lower fee level under that scheme when further criteria are introduced.

Robbie Moore: Defra officials are currently collating the evidence received from an extended programme of stakeholder engagement on modulated fees which was carried out over the second half of 2023. This engagement has included consideration of cork and other natural products. The Government intends to seek further stakeholder input in this area, including to further assess business impact, before finalising any proposals. The final decisions on packaging materials with increased fees will be agreed and announced by the Scheme Administrator for the UK Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging.

Flood Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to accelerate (a) upper catchment management and (b) water holding schemes.

Robbie Moore: Flood risk is a top priority for the Government. We are investing a record £5.2 billion in flood and coastal erosion schemes across England between 2021-2027. In addition, the Government is investing £200 million in our Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes, supporting more than 25 local areas to test innovative actions to improve resilience to flooding and coastal erosion. For example, Southend-on-sea's Catchment to Coast project will use innovative solutions to improve whole-catchment resilience from nature-based solutions in the upper catchment, rainwater harvesting in the mid, to tackling coastal erosion of historic landfills. Our Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Policy Statement sets out our long-term ambition to create a nation more resilient to flood and coastal erosion risk. This includes a holistic approach to managing water throughout catchments that considers the full range of actions which could be taken in an area, upstream and downstream by a variety of bodies. Helping to ensure water availability in times of drought and slow and store water in times of excess. There are many ways to mitigate flood risk; from slowing the flow in the upper catchment through natural flood management measures such as small scale storage or tree planting, using water infrastructure such as reservoirs to create space for water and manage flows, and blue green infrastructure and sustainable drainage in urban areas. In September 2023 the Environment Agency and Defra announced £25 million funding for improving flood resilience through a new natural flood management programme, which could include projects operating in the upper catchment, and those designed to store water in times of excess. Expressions of interest closed on 10 November 2023 and we will announce the successful projects this year. Finally, our Plan for Water commits to designing towns and cities for water sustainability and reducing flood risk, with actions targeted at mitigating excess run off. These include, rolling out standardised sustainable drainage systems in all new developments which store and improve water quality, requiring water companies to produce Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans, and considering how planning policy can promote local design decisions and water reuse and dual pipe systems.

Rural Areas: Weather

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help rural communities prepare for the impact of adverse weather.

Robbie Moore: The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs works closely with departments and agencies across government, including partner agencies such as the Met Office and the Environment Agency (EA), to monitor the risk from flooding. The government funds a Flood Forecasting Centre which provides a daily five-day flood forecast and informs National and Local operational flood preparedness. The Environment Agency (EA) provides operational response to flooding across England and is prepared to act wherever and whenever it is needed with 5,000 trained staff across the country ready to respond to flooding. The EA launched its annual Flood Action Campaign on 20 November 2023 to encourage people to prepare for flooding. This promotes the steps that people can take to protect themselves, their family and homes. Members of the public can sign up to receive free flood warnings from the EA to keep them aware of expected or ongoing flood risks to their local area.

Flood Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to assess future flood risks.

Robbie Moore: Creating climate resilient places lies at the heart of the Environment Agency’s (EA) National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England and Roadmap to 2026. The EA is currently developing a new National Flood Risk Assessment that will provide a single picture of current and future flood risk from rivers, the sea and surface water, using both existing detailed local information and improved national data. The new risk assessment will provide a better understanding of both current and future flood risk accounting for a range of climate change scenarios. The EA is also updating the full National Coastal Erosion Risk Mapping (NCERM) dataset. The update will include coastal erosion predictions for England through this century and provide an updated assessment of residential and non-residential properties at risk. The updated NCERM will be published in 2024 and will provide the best available information on coastal erosion risk.

Flood Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that accurate information on flood risks linked to adverse weather events is communicated to affected communities.

Robbie Moore: The Environment Agency provides the Check for flooding service giving information on flood alerts and warnings as well as a 5-day forecast. The Environment Agency uses its flood warning system to directly alert those who have signed up to receive flood warnings when flooding is expected in their area. There are currently around 1.6 million people signed up to receive these warnings. The Environment Agency is continuously improving its flood risk data. It is currently developing a new National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA2) that will provide a single picture of current and future flood risk from rivers, the sea and surface water, using both existing detailed local information and improved national data. The new risk assessment information will be available to members of the public through the Environment Agency’s Check for Long Term Flood Risk service.

Clean Air Zones: Greater Manchester

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to make a decision on the non-charging proposal for the Greater Manchester clean air zone.

Robbie Moore: We requested further evidence from the Greater Manchester authorities to enable us to consider their plans and they have recently provided further information. We will respond to Greater Manchester in due course.

Flood Control: Licensing

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many environmental permits were issued by the Environment Agency for the purposes of carrying out work (a) in and (b) by (i) a main river, (ii) flood defence structures, (iii) sea defence and (iv) flood plains in each year since 2015.

Robbie Moore: The Environment Agency does not differentiate permits by the breakdown requested but keeps a record of all permits issued. The following number of flood risk activity permits have been issued per year since 2016. In 2015 the Environmental Permitting (England & Wales) Regulations did not include permits for activities taking place in or near main rivers, flood defences or within the flood plain. This was under the Water Resources Act 1991 and Regional Byelaws and issued as consents.  YearNumber of Flood Risk Activity Permits2016123720171437201814952019127520201101202112492022138820231185

Environment Agency: Flood Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the capacity of the Environment Agency to meet demand at times of country-wide flooding.

Robbie Moore: The Environment Agency has numerous flood incident response roles that staff hold alongside their day jobs. Staff are regularly trained and exercised in these roles. Some of these roles are only activated during an incident and some are on standby all year round. The Environment Agency currently has over 4600 staff trained to perform these flood incident response roles.

Flood Re: Leasehold

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of including leasehold properties in the Flood:RE insurance scheme.

Robbie Moore: The Flood Re scheme allows for insurers to offer discounted premiums to leasehold properties consisting of three or less units where the freeholder lives in one of the units. As larger blocks, of four or more units, are classified as a commercial business, the Flood Re scheme does not apply for buildings insurance. Tenants and leaseholders can obtain contents insurance supported by Flood Re, regardless of the size of the block. Regulation 27 of the Flood Reinsurance (Scheme Funding and Administration) Regulations 2015 sets out that Flood Re must produce a report at least every five years which reviews the scheme. How leasehold properties are included in the Scheme will be fully assessed as part of this review. Flood Re intend to publish the review in summer 2024, which the Secretary of State will consider in due course.

Land Drainage

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on implementing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

Robbie Moore: The review and decision for making sustainable drainage systems mandatory in new developments was published on 10 January 2023. The Government has accepted the review’s recommendation to implement through Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. The Government is now looking at how best to implement, considering scope, threshold, and process, while also being mindful of the cumulative impact of new regulatory burdens on the development sector. We will be consulting on the proposals shortly and remain committed to implementing sustainable drainage systems.

Flood Control: South West

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help flood affected areas in (a) Bournemouth East constituency and (b) the South West.

Robbie Moore: a) Bournemouth East is at risk of flooding from the sea, Christchurch Harbour, the River Stour and Surface Water. The Environment Agency and Bournemouth, Poole & Christchurch Council are working in partnership to ensure plans are in place to reduce the flood and coastal erosion risk both now and into the future taking account of climate change. Work is underway on the Lower Stour and Christchurch Bay Flood Risk Management Strategies. These strategies will inform future investment needed to both reduce flood risk and adapt to climate change. The Environment Agency and Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council are capturing information from recent flood events and will build this into their Strategies and future investment plans. Both organisations are also engaging with affected communities. As part of the Government’s 6- year £5.2 billion (2021/22-2026/27) capital investment programme £22.7m of Flood Defence Grant in Aid (FDGiA) is being invested in Bournemouth East. This will better protect 3003 properties from flooding or coastal erosion. On the coast we are investing in the Bournemouth Beach Management Programme to reduce the risk of coastal erosion. Work is underway and includes groyne replacement, beach recharge, and redevelopment of the long groyne at Hengistbury Head. Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council are developing surface water management plans that will identify high risk locations and measures necessary to reduce the risk of surface water flooding, these plans will take account of recent flooding. b) Across the South West the Environment Agency and Local Authorities are similarly working with local communities to help them recover from flooding over the last few months. The Flood and Coastal Risk Management capital programme (2021/22 – 2026/27) has planned FDGIA capital investment of £696m for the South West ONS region*. This investment is forecast to better protect around 21,300 properties from flooding and coastal erosion. *Please note that allocations are reviewed each year and are subject to change, and numbers for properties better protected are forecasts which are also subject to change. Totals may not include projects that are cross-boundary across multiple ONS regions.

Fly-tipping

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken with local authorities to tackle fly-tipping (a) nationally and (b) in Romford constituency.

Robbie Moore: The Prime Minister’s Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan sets out how we will help councils take tougher action against those who fly-tip. This includes significantly raising the upper limit on the penalties councils can issue to £1,000 for fly-tipping and £600 for householders who give their waste to an unauthorised carrier, which we did in July 2023. We have also increased transparency on the use of these penalties by publishing league tables and recently laid regulations to ringfence the money raised from these penalties for enforcement and clean up activity. This Government’s fly-tipping grants are helping councils across the country put a stop to fly-tipping at hotspots, such as by installing CCTV and fencing. Nearly £1.2million is already in use with a further £1million to be awarded this spring. A selection of case studies from completed projects are available online so that others can learn about those interventions which were most successful. These can be found at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/fly-tipping-intervention-grant-scheme. With the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, we are developing a toolkit to help councils and others tackle fly-tipping. So far, the group has published a guide on how to present robust cases to court and a new framework which sets out how to set up and run effective local partnerships. The toolkit, and other resources, are available online at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.

River Tame: Pollution

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the water quality in the River Tame between Johnson Brook and Wilson Brook.

Robbie Moore: The section of the River Tame between Johnson Brook and Wilson Brook comprises designated waterbodies River Tame – Swineshaw Brook to Mersey (GB112069061112) and Wilson Brook (GB112069061280). Johnson Brook is not a waterbody in its own right but forms part of GB112069061112. These water bodies were assessed for water quality classification by the Environment Agency (EA) in 2021/22. The next classifications are expected next year. Details of the current assessment of these water bodies can be found on the EA’s Catchment Data Explorer: GB112069061112 and GB112069061280.

Animals: Diseases

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of recent outbreaks of epizootic haemorrhagic disease in Europe.

Mark Spencer: Epizootic Haemorrhagic Disease (EHD) is a midge-borne emerging disease in Europe. The UK has never had an outbreak of EHD which most acutely affects deer, but ruminants and camelids are also susceptible. With the recent movement of EHD across mainland Europe, we have stepped up our surveillance and import controls. Countries with co-existing outbreaks of bluetongue and EHD cannot export live animals to the UK and additional guarantees regarding testing are required for imports of germplasm (semen, ova, embryos) from EHD affected countries. We are working with industry stakeholders to raise awareness of EHD, encouraging increased vigilance, responsible sourcing of live animals and germplasm, and stressing the importance of early reporting.

Supermarkets: Labelling

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will hold discussions with supermarkets on introducing filters to help customers choose British products when shopping online.

Mark Spencer: Defra officials regularly engage with major supermarkets to understand the work they are doing to promote British produce online. We encourage their efforts to promote British food and the innovative ways to make it easier for consumers to pick British and back our farmers, who produce some of the best food in the world.

Water Companies: Standards

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to hold water service providers accountable for sewage spillages.

Robbie Moore: The Government is clear that the amount of sewage discharged into our waters is unacceptable. That is why our Plan for Water sets out more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement to tackle widespread sources of pollution. We are making the water industry accountable on a scale never seen before. To achieve this, we have ensured that 100 per cent of storm overflows in England are now monitored, dramatically increasing the information we have on storm overflow activity. We have also legislated to introduce unlimited penalties on water companies which breach their environmental permits and expand the range of offences to which penalties can be applied, giving the Environment Agency the tools, they need to hold water companies accountable. Furthermore, using new powers granted to Ofwat by the Government, Ofwat is ensuring company dividends are linked to company performance, for customers and the environment.

Packaging: Recycling

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking through Simpler Recycling to help ensure that collected packaging waste is recycled.

Robbie Moore: Through Simpler Recycling, all household and non-household premises (such as businesses, schools and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core groups: metal; glass; plastic: paper and card; food waste; garden waste (household only). By making recycling clearer and easier, we will help reduce contamination, better preserve material value and help to grow demand for recyclables. Furthermore, under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging, local authorities will receive payments for managing recyclable packaging waste, supporting costs associated with upgrading services and sorting infrastructure and incentivising them to deliver efficient and effective services. Under EPR, higher fees can be charged to producers for packaging that is less recyclable, incentivising them to choose readily recyclable packaging.

Packaging: Recycling

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the statutory guidance on Simpler Recycling in helping ensure collected packaging waste is recycled.

Robbie Moore: As per new section 45A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Secretary of State may issue guidance about the duties imposed in sections 45 to 45AZD. We have consulted relevant parties on the proposed statutory guidance and will publish a consultation response in due course.

Recycling

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Simpler Recycling on recycling rates.

Robbie Moore: Simpler Recycling will play a key part in helping us reach our ambition outlined the in the Resources and Waste Strategy 2018 to reach 65% recycling rate for municipal solid waste, with less than 10% ending up in landfill by 2035. We will be publishing our Final Impact Assessment for Simpler Recycling alongside secondary legislation in 2024 which will contain modelled impacts of the Simpler Recycling on recycling rates.

Floods: Nottinghamshire

Darren Henry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) businesses and (b) homeowners who were affected by the recent flooding in Nottinghamshire.

Robbie Moore: On Saturday 6th January the Government announced a significant package of support that will be available to areas in England that have experienced exceptional localised flooding as a result of Storm Henk. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has activated the Flood Recovery Framework and its package of support measures include;Community Recovery Grant: Eligible Local Authorities will receive funding equivalent to £500 per flooded household to support local recovery efforts.Business Recovery Grant: DBT may provide eligible Local Authorities up to £2,500 per eligible small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), which has suffered severe impacts from flooding that cannot be recovered from insurance.Council Tax Discount: The Government will reimburse eligible Local Authorities for the cost of a 100% council tax discount for a minimum of three months. Following approval from Defra’s Secretary of State, Defra has now also activated the Property Floods Resilience (PFR) Grant scheme and the Farming Recovery Fund. The PFR Scheme is a package of funding for property owners directly flooded by a specific weather event that grants them up to £5,000 per property to install PFR measures. The Farming Recovery Fund pays out to farmers with uninsurable damage for grants of up to £25,000 for repair and reinstatement costs. The PFR Scheme will be administered through local authorities, who will confirm application process to eligible households and businesses in the coming weeks. Nottinghamshire County Council are eligible for the scheme and households and businesses interested in funding may contact them directly.

Dangerous Dogs: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department has issued in compensation to people who have given up their XL Bully dog to be euthanised in (a) Solihull constituency and (b) England.

Mark Spencer: Defra has issued £12,200 in compensation for the euthanasia of XL Bully Dogs in England and Wales as of the 8th January 2024. Defra does not collate this data by constituency. Therefore, we are unable to provide the number of applications received from Solihull.

Dangerous Dogs: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications his Department has received for certificates of exemption to keep an XL Bully dog in (a) Solihull constituency and (b) England.

Mark Spencer: Since opening the scheme to apply for a certificate of exemption to keep an XL Bully Dog in November 2023, Defra has received 21277 applications from dog owners in England and Wales as of the 8th January 2024. These applications are still being processed and may include duplicates, errors or ineligible applications. Defra does not collate this data by constituency. Therefore, we are unable to provide the number of applications received from Solihull.

Donkeys and Horses: Exports

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s welfare arrangements regime for the live export of (a) horses, (b) donkeys and (c) ponies.

Mark Spencer: No such recent assessment has been made. The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill, currently progressing through Parliament, will ban the live export of horses, donkeys and ponies for slaughter from Great Britain, stopping unnecessary stress, exhaustion and injury caused by this trade.

Police: Training

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what training police staff receive to equip them with the skills to respond to reports of dangerous dog attacks from XL bullies.

Mark Spencer: The police have a range of powers available to tackle dangerous dogs of all breeds, and Defra officials are working in partnership with police forces across England and Wales to ensure the full range of existing dog control powers are effectively applied. As part of this, we have been collaborating with police to deliver sessions to share best practice in preventive dog control enforcement and encourage multi-agency working to ensure dog control issues are addressed before they escalate. Regarding the XL Bully ban specifically, Defra will be supporting the police to deliver additional training to officers to make sure the ban is effectively enforced. We are liaising with the four training centres that deliver Dog Legislation Officer training to ensure officers are upskilled and able to consistently apply the breed standard for the XL Bully breed type.

Dangerous Dogs

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the licensing fees paid by XL Bully dog owners will cover the cost of preparing the certificate of exemption.

Mark Spencer: The application fee paid by XL bully owners on registering an XL Bully covers the cost of processing the application and preparing the certificate of exemption.

Animal and Plant Health Agency

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is he taking to support the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

Mark Spencer: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is a critical delivery partner for the UK, Welsh, and Scottish Governments, helping to safeguard animal and plant health for the benefit of people, the environment, and the economy. APHA’s achievements and financial position for 2022/23 are set out in its latest Annual Report and Accounts, published in July 2023. Recognising the impact of persistent incursions of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 into the UK over the last two years, additional funding has been made available this year to APHA to ensure it has the resources needed to meet the increased demands of HPAI without affecting other vital biosecurity work. The Government continues to invest substantially, including £200m across the current spending review, in the Science Capability in Animal Health (SCAH) Programme that oversees major re-development of APHA’s Weybridge labs, safeguarding its long-term future as a centre for scientific excellence in tackling high-risk diseases.

Sugar Beet: Neonicotinoids

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to (a) reduce the supply of sugar and (b) reverse the exemption for sugar beet crops to the ban on neonicotinoid pesticides.

Mark Spencer: British farmers take decisions on the planting of crops based on a variety of factors including the weather, their soil type, and their long-term agronomic strategy, in addition to reacting to market signals. Sugar beet often plays a vital role in soil and crop health in the arable farm rotation, allowing a season of “rest” from intensive cereal production. It is not for the Government to determine which crops farmers should grow or prioritise to include in their crop rotation. The Government is fully persuaded that the widespread use of neonicotinoids should not be permitted. Approval was withdrawn from December 2018 for the outdoor use of three neonicotinoid pesticides (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) on any crops, including crops such as sugar beet which are harvested prior to flowering, due to the risk of harmful effects on pollinators. There is no intention to change these restrictions. There is no ongoing exemption for sugar beet crops from the ban on neonicotinoid pesticides. An application for emergency authorisation to use the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam on the 2024 sugar beet crop has been received. No decision has yet been made; once taken, the decision will be published on GOV.UK. Emergency authorisations for pesticides are only granted where strict legal requirements are met. More information on the emergency authorisation process can be found on HSE’s website, here.

Birds: Exports

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that checks on the welfare of chicks for exportation are undertaken (a) before they leave the UK and (b) at the point of arrival in the importing country.

Mark Spencer: Day old chicks are transported in highly controlled conditions, designed specifically to protect their welfare on long journeys. Checks are not routinely carried out on chicks being exported. It is the responsibility of the transporter to ensure that their transportation complies fully with legal requirements aimed at protecting the chicks’ welfare. All transporters are required to ensure that when transporting animals, they do so in a way that avoids causing pain, suffering or distress. The rules relating to the commercial transportation of animals are set out in retained Regulation (EC) 1/2005 and The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006, with equivalent domestic regulations in Wales and Scotland.

Potatoes: Prices

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of prices paid to potato growers by (a) supermarkets and (b) manufacturers of processed potato foods.

Mark Spencer: We are very aware of the recent turbulence in the potato market caused by a combination of factors including the weather and increase in input costs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We are closely monitoring the market situation. On 14th December we published a new review into fairness in the fresh produce supply chain. This will explore the relationships between horticulture producers, including those who grow potatoes, and the companies they do business with. The consultation closes in February, and we will analyse the responses then publish a formal response providing a summary of the findings and setting out next steps.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to increase payment rates for the (a) Higher Level Stewardship and (b) Upland Entry Level Stewardship schemes.

Mark Spencer: We do not have plans to update prices for Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) or Upland Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) agreements. This is because these agreements are made on a whole farm basis and payments work differently in those schemes. From the 1st of January 2023 we made it possible for customers in HLS leave their agreements early, without recovery of payments, and enter another land management scheme and we will continue to support these moves. The new scheme must be of equivalent or greater environmental value than the HLS component of their existing agreement. Agreement holders can also apply for a Countryside Stewardship, Sustainable Farming Incentive and/or a Landscape Recovery agreement for any land that does not already contain a HLS option, they can be next to each other but must not overlap.

Sustainable Farming Incentive

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to introduce 10 year sustainable farming incentive agreements.

Mark Spencer: Our aim is for the Sustainable Farming incentive (SFI) to enable as many farmers as possible to adopt and maintain sustainable farming practices that support farm productivity whilst protecting and enhancing the natural environment. These include actions that focus on improving management of soils and nutrients. The 3-year agreement term in SFI supports this aim, building on recommendations from farming organisations and tenant farmers (including feedback from the Rock Review). Longer term 5- or 10-year agreements are also available in Countryside Stewardship for specific actions, to manage, restore or create important habitats like grassland or in coastal areas.

Farmers: Government Assistance

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support farmers with rising input costs.

Mark Spencer: The Government is supporting farmers through a range of measures. We are updating prices in our environmental land management schemes with an average 10% uplift. We are making Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) simpler, with more choice about what farmers can do and more actions made available, to better reflect the full spectrum of farming interests. What is more, 50 new actions are being added to our environmental land management schemes, many of which support food production, making it easier for the Government’s support to fit into farmers’ business plans. And specific actions in the SFI, such as different cropping systems, better plant management methods and other Nutrient Management and Integrated Pest Management actions, will support farmers in improving soil health, reducing their reliance on costly inputs. We are also keen to support farmers through technology. Later this month, Defra will be inviting farmers to apply for share of an initial £15 million for innovations, like robotic mechanical weeding technology, that can be implemented right away. More grants will be launched this year to help farmers grow more, sell more and make their businesses more sustainable and resilient for the future. We will also look at ways to make grants and schemes even easier to access, including the potential to streamline the application process for schemes. Farmers can now apply for SFI and the Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier through one single application, meaning they’ll have the same actions and get the same support with less paperwork. More broadly, we are supporting British farmers in the marketplace. British farmers are rightly proud of producing food that meets and often exceeds our world leading animal welfare and environmental standards. And British consumers want to buy this top-quality food. This is why we will rapidly consult on clearer labelling, to protect farmers and consumers. We also want the public sector to procure more high quality, sustainable food produced by farmers, and Parliament has in fact recently passed legislation following our exit from the European Union which enables a greater emphasis on the public benefits of this public sector procurement. We will also update the government buying standards for food and catering to emphasise the importance of buying food with high environmental and welfare standards, which will further support British farmers and food producers.

Paraquat: Exports

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to ban the export of paraquat.

Mark Spencer: The Government does not currently intend to ban the export of paraquat. The export of paraquat from Great Britain (GB) is strictly regulated under the GB Prior Informed Consent (PIC) regulatory regime for the export and import of certain hazardous chemicals. We believe it is essential that the use of pesticides that are known to be hazardous to human health or the environment should be subject to scientific risk assessment, mitigation, and regulatory protections. That is why we support notification of the export of Paraquat under GB PIC and support its listing under the Rotterdam convention. The exchange of information that PIC provides allows importing countries to make informed decisions on the import of those chemicals and on how to handle and use them safely. This process is kept under review. The UK is committed to working internationally through bodies such as the OECD, the Global Framework on Chemicals (GFC - formerly SAICM), the Rotterdam Convention and United Nations Environment Assembly to manage pesticides safely. As a strong supporter of the GFC, the UK successfully negotiated 28 targets to deliver a safer and more sustainable future for the planet, including targets calling for increased global action on the most harmful pesticides in agriculture – working with stakeholders to support the availability of safe and affordable alternatives for farmers around the world.

Sustainable Farming Incentive: Suffolk Coastal

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications to the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023 have been (a) made and (b) approved in Suffolk Coastal constituency.

Mark Spencer: The Sustainable Farming Incentive has a rolling application window and as of 9 January the Rural Payments Agency has received 36 applications of which 24 agreements have been offered and 17 accepted for the Suffolk Coastal Constituency.

Slaughterhouses

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that abattoirs are appropriately staffed; and whether he is taking steps to help ensure the resilience of the carbon dioxide supply required for the slaughter of pigs and poultry.

Mark Spencer: The UK benefits from having a resilient and successful meat processing sector. However, we recognise the challenges it continues to face with the recruitment of skilled labour. The Government supports the industry in its recruitment and training of more domestic workers including through apprenticeship schemes, and in utilising the benefits that automation can bring. Defra also works closely with stakeholders across the food industry, including the meat processing sector, to encourage CO2 contingency planning and resilience. The recent tightness in the supply of CO2 has eased with the market now more stable. The industry has also taken steps to make efficiencies and to use alternative CO2 sources where possible.

Potatoes: Food Supply

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of lower potato production on food security.

Mark Spencer: We are very aware of the recent turbulence in the potato market caused by recent wet weather. We are closely monitoring the market situation and continue to engage with the potato growing, manufacturing and processing sectors to supplement Government data with real-time intelligence. The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, with a high degree of food security built on strong domestic production and supply from diverse sources. While the weather has created a challenging growing and harvesting environment for potato crops this season, we are not anticipating any significant impacts to domestic supply.

Agriculture: Biodiversity

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to conserve UK agrobiodiversity to prevent (a) genetic erosion and (b) species extinction.

Mark Spencer: We are already implementing a set of targeted schemes to improve the environment and productivity. Investing in the natural environment will help us reduce future risks related to the loss of biodiversity. In 2024 in our combined Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship Scheme offer we are introducing new and updated actions to further support species recovery and management. We are addressing conserving agrobiodiversity through our commitments to conserve genetic resources on under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Activities to protect and conserve livestock genetic resources also include encouraging sustainable breeding programmes through Zootechnical legislation, monitoring populations of pedigree livestock including native breeds which are published in an annual UK National Breed inventory and protecting eligible native breeds at risk from culling during notifiable disease outbreaks. The Government recognises the important role local abattoirs play in supporting native breed farmers and the wider rural economy. In December 2023 Defra launched the £4 million Smaller Abattoir Fund to boost the sustainability and efficiency of red meat and poultry smaller abattoirs across England. To conserve plant genetic resources for food and agriculture Defra funds three plant gene banks, the national collections for fruit, vegetables and peas, which conserve and provide access to plant genetic material. In situ conservation of forest genetic resources has started to be delivered by voluntary designation of 17 gene conservation units by the Woodland Trust. Ex situ conservation of forest genetic resources has been achieved through both seed banking and by clone banks. The UK National Tree Seed Project, led by Royal Botanic Gardens Kew has conserved seed collections of the UK native trees from populations across the UK. Forest Research and the Future Trees Trust have set up and mange clone banks for improved forestry material.

Food Supply: Research

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will work with higher education institutions to support (a) research and (b) development of new (i) technologies and (ii) practices to promote sustainable food systems.

Mark Spencer: Defra works extensively with UK higher education institutions in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to support research and development. This includes collaborating on the development and adoption of technologies and practices through the £270M Farming Innovation Programme. Universities and research organisations are involved in most projects within this Programme, which develops real-world solutions to the challenges being faced, improving productivity and sustainability of farm businesses. Other examples include supporting the £47.5M UKRI-led Strategic Priorities Fund on Transforming Food Systems, which seeks to develop food systems that enhance both human and planetary health. Defra’s Agri-Food Science Programme develops R&D to stimulate innovation to enable sustainable food systems. This includes through our crop Genetic Improvement Networks, which bring together key research institutes in crop genetics, including from higher education institutes, to identify genetic traits to improve the productivity, sustainability and resilience of crops.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people receiving Personal Independence Payments are in work as of 19 January 2024.

Mims Davies: The Department does not hold the data requested. We do not forecast employment among Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants, as it is not a material factor for PIP volumes or expenditure.

Social Security Benefits: Neurology

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that claimants with (a) fluctuating and (b) progressive neurological conditions are able to request to have their entitlements to benefits reviewed throughout their condition.

Mims Davies: Whenever a claimant goes through the Personal Independence Payment assessment or the Work Capability Assessment, their functional ability, including the impact of any progressive and/or fluctuating condition, is considered and reflected in the outcome decision. The claimant can report a change in their circumstances, for example a deterioration or improvement in their condition, which they consider affects their existing award, at any time. This will be considered on its merits and the case reviewed as appropriate.

Conditions of Employment: Immunosuppression

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is taking steps to put employment protections in place for immunocompromised people shielding from covid-19.

Mims Davies: This is not a matter for the Department for Work and Pensions. As the Department for Business and Trade (formerly Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) confirmed in its response to PQ 72575, there are a range of existing legal protections which can be engaged where an individual has an underlying health condition.

Personal Independence Payment:  Adult Disability Payment

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average processing time was for transferring a claim for the Personal Independence Payment to the Adult Disability Payment under Social Security Scotland in each month in 2023.

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the longest time taken to transfer a claim for a Personal Independence Payment to a claim under Social Security Scotland for an Adult Disability Payment was in each month in 2023.

Mims Davies: The Department does not hold the data requested. The process for transferring claims from Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to Adult Disability Payment (ADP) has been designed and agreed with the Scottish Government in order to facilitate a safe and secure process. Most cases transferring from PIP to ADP are designed to take between 13 weeks and 16 weeks and 6 days to transfer, aligning with pay cycles. However, the time it takes for ADP to be put into payment following a case transfer trigger is a matter for the Scottish Government.

Employment: Disability

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to monitor whether disabled people who return to work remain in employment.

Mims Davies: The Department publishes data annually on the number of disabled people who are in work and of those the number who have remained in work compared to the previous year from the Labour Force Survey (LFS).Official statistics show that of all disabled people in work one year, 91.1% are still in work the following year. The data used in the report is an average from 2014 to 2022 to increase precision due to small sample sizes.

Money Lenders

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,  whether his Department is taking steps to advise claimants on the financial risks associated with unauthorised money lenders.

Paul Maynard: We are committed to ensuring staff who engage with claimants identify and signpost them to the financial support they require. We continue to work closely with the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), which is an Arm’s Length Body of DWP, to identify and maximise all the touchpoints where it may be appropriate to signpost claimants to the expert financial help they need. We have also been working with MaPS to upskill our frontline staff to give them the confidence and skills to have those difficult and sensitive conversations with claimants regarding their finances before signposting them to the most suitable organisation. This may be for help with budgeting and money management, or with debt, as well as information on unauthorised money lenders. Customers contacting the Department’s Debt Management Team are routinely referred to this service. To help facilitate signposting discussions with claimants, staff have access to a database of national and local support information, the District Provision Tool, which ensures that claimants can access tailored support where required.

Explosives: Licensing

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many licences the Health and Safety Executive has issued for the purposes of manufacturing and storing explosives in each year since 2015.

Paul Maynard: Under the provisions of the Explosives Regulations 2014 (as amended), the Health and Safety Executive has issued 470 licences for the purposes of manufacturing and storing explosives since 2015. The table details the number of licences issued by year:YearLicences issued  201574201653201748201840201945202053202164202250202343Total470

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman: Complaints

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints about his Department were submitted to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in 2023; and how many and what proportion of those complaints were upheld.

Paul Maynard: Although the DWP holds some information relating to complaints received within the Department, which are submitted to the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), the PHSO holds all the information being sought in this question. The information can be found here: https://www.ombudsman.org.uk/publications/complaints-parliamentary-and-health-service-ombudsman-2022-23

Household Support Fund

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received funding from the Household Support Fund in each financial year since 2021-2022.

Jo Churchill: 8.9 million awards were made during HSF1, from 6 October 2021 to 31 March 2022.17.2 million awards were made during HSF2 and HSF3, from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. This does not necessarily represent the number of households supported, as some may have received more than one award.

Local Government: Redundancy

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any redundancy notices will be given to local government staff due to the end of the Household Support Fund.

Jo Churchill: The current Household Support Fund runs from April 2023 until the end of March 2024, and the government continues to keep all its existing programmes under review in the usual way. The Department for Work and Pensions guidance states that staffing costs are included in reasonable administrative spend for the duration of the current scheme. It is the responsibility of individual Local Authorities to appropriately manage their staffing arrangements.

Social Security Benefits

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help ensure that people whose allowances have been altered by measures announced in the Autumn Statement receive adequate financial support.

Jo Churchill: The Autumn Statement 2023 claim closure measure will introduce legislation to close the claim of those on work-related benefits who do not re-engage for a continuous period of six months or more following an open-ended sanction decision. It remains unchanged that customers usually lose 100% of their Universal Credit Standard Allowance when a sanction is applied. The claim closure measure will not be applied where a customer receives additional amounts of Universal Credit (UC) for childcare, housing, or a disability. Where those in receipt of an additional amount of UC remain disengaged for a period of 2 months or more following an open-ended sanction, Targeted Case Reviews (TCR) will be conducted to encourage these customers to re-engage and to confirm their benefit entitlement. The TCR process forms part of our wider fraud and error agenda to ensure we are paying customers what they are entitled to, and a review could result in the customers benefit payment being maintained, reduced, or increased. For customers who demonstrate that they cannot meet their immediate and most essential needs as a result of a sanction, we have a well-established system of hardship payments. These needs can include heating, food, and hygiene.

Church Commissioners

Churches: Nigeria

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church has had discussions with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on the attack on the St Francis Xavier Church in Owo, Nigeria in 2022; and whether the Church is providing aid for the victims of that attack.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Human Experiments

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding her Department has allocated to research and innovation relating to human relevant science since her Department was established.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to support human relevant science.

Andrew Griffith: UKRI actively supports and accelerates advances in biomedical science and technologies to reduce reliance on the use of animals in research. This includes MRC and BBSRC providing approximately £10 million per annum for the world-leading National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). Total funding for human-relevant science is not routinely captured given that it covers not only investment in the development and delivery of Non-Animal Technologies, but also the underpinning basic science that sits beneath this as well as research across the biomedical spectrum, from fundamental lab-based science to clinical trials, and in all major disease areas.

Animal Experiments: International Cooperation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with international partners to (a) reduce and (b) end experiments on animals in scientific research.

Andrew Griffith: The UK has a first class reputation for development of techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research (3Rs). UK Research and Innovation funds activities aimed at reducing or eliminating the use of animals in research, providing approximately £10 million per annum for the world-leading National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs). The NC3Rs leads a range of international collaborations working with the pharmaceutical industry, research funders and regulatory bodies from mainland Europe, North and South America and Asia. It recently completed a review of animal tests for biologicals such as vaccines that was commissioned by the WHO.

Department for Business and Trade: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to page 57 of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy's annual report and accounts for 2022/23, HC 1796, published on 19 October 2023, what the distance travelled on domestic flights was that resulted in the emission totals of (a) 128 tCO2e in 2021/22 and (b) 395 tCO2e in 2022/23.

Andrew Griffith: The question refers to the former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy's annual report and accounts for 2022/23. The total distance travelled on domestic flights was: For 22/23 – Total domestic flights distance is 3,040,793kmFor 21/22 – Total domestic flights distance is 987,591km  The year 21/22 was impacted by travel restrictions due to the covid pandemic.

Telecommunications: Infrastructure

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of instructing Ofcom to (a) monitor compliance by (i) network operators and (ii) contractors using Openreach ducts and (b) require registration from any organisation using Openreach ducts to help ensure the (A) resilience of the UK’s networks and (B) security of national infrastructure.

Julia Lopez: Openreach has commercial contracts with broadband contractors who access its ducts and poles. These contracts include detailed requirements on how Openreach should be notified of where and when companies will be building fibre. It is ultimately a commercial decision for Openreach to decide how it enforces these contracts, and we understand it already has an active non-compliance process in place. If there are concerns that competition issues might arise from the enforcement of these commercial contracts, these should be raised with Ofcom. Ofcom’s Openreach Monitoring Unit ensures that the company meets expectations in how it deals with both its customers and its competitors. DSIT engages with Ofcom and Openreach on a regular basis and no concerns have been raised to date regarding the use of Openreach ducts by other companies and contractors. DSIT will continue to monitor potential risks to the cyber, physical and personnel security of telecoms infrastructure and assess the need for intervention, based on advice from NCSC and NPSA.

Optical Fibres

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to (a) ensure the security of network infrastructure and (b) prevent unauthorised access to fibre lines during the (i) installation and (ii) utilisation of Openreach ducting.

Julia Lopez: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) works with Ofcom, UK technical authorities (the National Cyber Security Centre and the National Protective Security Authority) and industry to identify risks and ensure the security of telecoms network infrastructure. Through the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 and working with the National Cyber Security Centre and Ofcom, we have one of the toughest telecoms cyber security regimes in the world with the Electronic Communications (Security Measures) Regulations 2022 and Code of Practice. These place stringent obligations on providers of public telecoms networks to protect those networks against security threats. The Act also created new national security powers to manage and control the use of high-risk vendors in the UK’s telecoms network. DSIT also works with the National Protective Security Agency (NPSA) in developing telecoms security policies. The NPSA advises government and industry on the physical security of infrastructure, including its installation. DSIT will continue to develop policies to address significant risks to the cyber, physical and personnel security of telecoms infrastructure where necessary, based on advice from the NPSA and NCSC.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Written Questions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, when she plans to respond to Questions 6773 and 6774 on Attorney General: Redundancy Pay, tabled by the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury on 13 December 2023.

Victoria Prentis: The Attorney General's Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prison Officers: Crimes of Violence

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Attorney General, how many prosecutions for assaults against prison officers have been dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service on the grounds of not being in the (a) public interest and (b) interests of justice in each of the last five years.

Robert Courts: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold data on the number of prosecutions for offences relating specifically to assaults on prison officers. The number of prosecutions commenced in the last five years for charges relating to assault and/or battery against emergency workers (charged by way of section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and section 1 of the Assaults on Emergency Workers(Offences) Act 2018), which include prison officers, is set out below. It would not be possible to determine the outcome of these prosecutions or whether the charge related specifically to an assault on a prison officer without an examination of CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost. 2018-20192019-20202020-20212021-20222022-2023Section 39, Criminal Justice Act 1988; Section 1, Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 20184,40123,67628,90635,30131,996Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

Crimes against Property and Public Order Offences: Prosecutions

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Attorney General, what steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for (a) theft, (b) criminal damage and arson and (c) public order offences.

Robert Courts: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reviews all cases received from the police, using the two-stage test (sufficient evidence for a reasonable prospect of conviction and an assessment of public interest factors) to determine suitability for prosecution. The volume of prosecutions is therefore determined by the number of cases received from the police which pass the two-stage test.CPS data from the period April – June 2023 (our most recent available figures) shows high conviction rates for theft, criminal damage (including arson), and public order offences.Across this period, the conviction rate for theft and handling was 91.1%. In the same quarter, the conviction rate for criminal damage (including arson) was 84.8%. The conviction rate for public order offences was 81.5%.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many purchases with a value of less than £500 were made against her Department’s budget using a Government procurement card (a) in calendar year 2022 and (b) from 1 January to 30 November 2023; and what was the total cost of those purchases.

Julia Lopez: In the calendar year 2022, there were 694 purchases with a value of less than £500 made against the Department’s budget using a government procurement card. The total cost of those purchases was £89,996.23.From 1 January 2023 to 30 November 2023, there were 631 purchases with a value of less than £500 made against the Department’s budget using a government procurement card. The total cost of those purchases was £77,550.10.

Culture and Sports: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to provide financial support for (a) art, (b) music, (c) heritage, (d) sport and (e) other local cultural offerings.

Julia Lopez: His Majesty’s Government provides funding opportunities for arts, music, heritage, sports and other cultural organisations through a range of sources, including direct Government funding, through arm’s-length bodies like Arts Council England, and indirectly through local authority funding.We have delivered significant support for heritage, including the High Street Heritage Action Zones, a heritage-led regeneration programme administered by Historic England. With a budget of £95 million, this programme focuses on fostering growth in historic high streets throughout England. HM Government also supports the upkeep of listed places of worship via the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which allocates up to £42 million per year. This scheme provides grants for the reimbursement of VAT incurred during the maintenance of the nation's listed churches. Arm’s-length bodies, like Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, provide further support to the heritage sector through various grants, including the Repair Grants for Heritage at Risk programme..We are committed to supporting the arts, music, and wider cultural sectors, including through our arm’s-length body, Arts Council England. Through its current investment programme, more than £444 million of public money is being invested each year in arts and culture across England. This is an increase from £410 million in the previous portfolio, and will support 985 organisations across England – more than ever before. In addition, through Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grant funding, in 2022/23 over £105 million of awards went to individuals and arts organisations across the country.For sport, Government support is delivered alongside National Lottery funding through the UK Sports Councils, and UK Sport provides funding to support potential Olympic and Paralympic athletes. We provide the majority of support for grassroots sport through our arm’s-length body, Sport England, which receives over £100 million in public funding each year. In addition, direct Government financial support worth over £350 million is being delivered through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, Swimming Pool Support Fund, and the tennis court refurbishment programme.

Religious Buildings: North East

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which listed places of worship in (a) the North East and (b) Sunderland received funding since 2019; and how much each received.

Julia Lopez: The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme was established to provide grants towards VAT paid on repairs and maintenance to the nation's listed places or worship. Through this grant scheme, 829 awards have been issued to places of worship in the North East of England since 2019, amounting to a total of £3,532,709. In Sunderland, 39 awards have been issued to places of worship since 2019, amounting to a total of £663,885.A dataset showing a full list of grant scheme recipients since August 2022 is available here on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nearly-5000-churches-across-the-united-kingdom-benefit-from-42-million-conservation-fund.

Football: Television

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with terrestrial TV broadcasters on free to view broadcasting of international football matches involving each of the home nations.

Julia Lopez: The Government believes that certain sporting events of national interest should be shown on free-to-air television rather than behind a paywall, so that they can be enjoyed by as wide an audience as possible. That is why we have the listed events regime.In determining what events form part of this regime, a balance between accessibility and the ability of sporting organisations to generate revenues from commercial broadcast arrangements to invest in the development of their sports from the grassroots up. The Government believes that the current list strikes an appropriate balance, and has no current plans to undertake a full review of the events on the list.

Holiday Accommodation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of traditional short-term lets on the local economies of (a) rural and (b) coastal communities.

Julia Lopez: Traditional short-term lets have long provided visitor accommodation to rural and coastal locations, supporting jobs and the local economy. However, it has been highlighted that there is no single, definitive source of data on short-term lets in England with which to make a more detailed assessment, and the Government has committed to introducing a registration scheme for short-term lets in order to better understand the size of the market.In April 2023, the Government published a consultation on the design of a short-term lets registration scheme. The consultation closed on 7 June 2023, and the Government will respond in due course.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will work with the relevant Government departments on the design of the registration scheme and to ensure that different measures which apply to short-term lets are proportionate, complementary and easy to understand.

Sustainability of the Press Review

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will provide an update on the steps taken by his Department to implement the recommendations of the Cairncross Review.

Julia Lopez: The Government is committed to supporting local and regional newspapers as vital pillars of communities and local democracy. They play an essential role in holding power to account, keeping the public informed of local issues and providing reliable, high-quality information.However, as the independent Cairncross Review into the future of journalism identified, society is increasingly moving online and local news publishers are facing significant challenges in transitioning to sustainable digital business models.The Government supported the majority of Cairncross recommendations and has taken them forward through a range of fiscal and regulatory interventions. This has included delivery of a £2 million Future News Fund, the zero rating of VAT on e-newspapers; the extension of a 2017 business rates relief on local newspaper office space until 2025; the publication of the Online Media Literacy Strategy; and our work through the Mid-Term Review of the BBC Charter, exploring how the BBC seeks to act as a complement to, rather than a substitute for, local commercial news outlets. The BBC also continues to support the sector directly, through the £8m it spends each year on the Local News Partnership, including the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme, which was expanded in 2020 to fund the placement of 165 journalists in newsrooms across the UK.We have also introduced legislation to address the far-reaching power of the biggest tech firms, building on the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority’s market study into online platforms and digital advertising. Among many other things, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill will help rebalance the relationship between publishers and online platforms on which they rely increasingly.

Telegraph Media Group

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions (a) she and (b) ministers in her Department have had with Ofcom on the proposed acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group by RedBird IMI.

Julia Lopez: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport issued a Public Interest Intervention Notice on 30 November 2023 in relation to the anticipated acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group by RedBird IMI on the grounds of the need for accurate presentation of news, and free expression of opinion, in newspapers.The Notice triggers a requirement for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to report to the Secretary of State on jurisdictional and competition matters, and for Ofcom to report on the specified media public interest considerations. Ofcom and the CMA have now both launched invitations for public comment, and will report to the Secretary of State on the issues specified in the Notice by midnight on 26 January 2024.It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.

Reach: Redundancy

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with Reach plc on its third round of proposed redundancies.

Julia Lopez: The Government is committed to supporting local and regional newspapers as vital pillars of communities and local democracy. They play an essential role in holding power to account, keeping the public informed of local issues and providing reliable, high-quality information.As society is increasingly moving online and local news publishers are facing significant challenges in transitioning to sustainable digital business models, the Government has taken action to support them.This includes delivery of a £2 million Future News Fund, the zero rating of VAT on e-newspapers; the extension of a 2017 business rates relief on local newspaper office space until 2025; the publication of the Online Media Literacy Strategy; and our work through the Mid-Term Review of the BBC Charter, exploring how the BBC seeks to act as a complement to, rather than a substitute for, local commercial news outlets. The BBC also continues to support the sector directly, through the £8m it spends each year on the Local News Partnership, including the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme, which was expanded in 2020 to fund the placement of 165 journalists in newsrooms across the UK.We have also introduced legislation to address the far-reaching power of the biggest tech firms, building on the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority’s market study into online platforms and digital advertising. Among many other things, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill will help rebalance the relationship between publishers and online platforms on which they rely increasingly.DCMS Ministers and officials continue to engage regularly with representatives from across the press sector, including Reach plc, on matters relating to the financial sustainability of the press.

Treasury

Woodford Investment Management

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the LF Woodford Equity Income Fund investigation.

Bim Afolami: Treasury ministers and officials have regular engagement with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings. The FCA has been investigating the events leading to the suspension of the Woodford Equity Income Fund, as the independent regulator responsible for the supervision and regulation of conduct in financial services. While the Treasury continues to follow this case closely, it is the responsibility of the FCA to investigate and decide upon the appropriate course of action.

Cars: Loans

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the FCA on the prevalence of overcharging for car finance loans before 2021.

Bim Afolami: The government is working closely with the FCA, the FOS, and the motor finance industry to monitor the potential impact of complaints made about motor finance commission practices. The FCA has confirmed that it will be taking steps to investigate historic practice in the motor finance sector.

Department for Education

Schools: Attendance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) work placements and (b) technical education on school attendance for children less able to learn in normal settings.

Damian Hinds: The department is aware that providing young people with the opportunity to participate in work placements and engage in vocational and technical education can provide them with the skills and knowledge they need later in life. That is why steps have been taken to ensure pupils can access high-quality vocational and technical qualifications from 14-16 and have improved the quality of non-GCSE qualifications at Key Stage 4 by introducing a new approvals process for Technical Awards.The careers statutory guidance also makes it clear that schools, including providers of Alternative Provision, should offer every young person at least one experience of a workplace by age 16. This means that every pupil should have opportunities, tailored to their needs, to learn from different employers about work and the skills that are valued in the workplace as well as first-hand experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience.The government recognises that the reasons for absence are varied and complex, and there are many different reasons that may help to encourage pupils back into education settings.

Pupils: Nutrition

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to promote healthy eating in schools.

Damian Hinds: The department encourages a healthy balanced diet and healthy life choices through school funding, legislation and guidance.The standards for school food are set out in the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014. These regulations are designed to ensure that schools provide pupils with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that pupils have the energy and nutrition they need throughout the school day.Under the benefits-based criteria, over 2 million of the most disadvantaged pupils are eligible for and claiming a free school meal. An additional 1.3 million infants enjoy a free, healthy and nutritious meal at lunchtime following the introduction of Universal Infant Free School Meals.The School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme also provides over 2.2 million children in Reception and key stage 1 with a portion of fresh fruit or vegetables each day at school. Schools are encouraged to use it as an opportunity to educate children and to assist a healthy, balanced diet.The importance of a healthy diet is also included in the science curriculum for both primary and secondary school. Healthy eating is covered through topics relating to nutrition and digestion, which cover the content of a healthy diet and the impact of diet on how the body functions.The Relationships, Sex and Health Education statutory guidance states that by the end of primary school, pupils should know what constitutes a healthy diet; the principles of planning and preparing a range of healthy meals; the characteristics of a poor diet; and risks associated with unhealthy eating and other behaviours. By the end of secondary school pupils should know how to maintain healthy eating and the links between a poor diet and health risks.Healthy eating and opportunities to develop pupils’ cooking skills are covered in the design and technology (D&T) curriculum. Cooking and nutrition are a discrete strand of the D&T curriculum and is compulsory in maintained schools for key stages 1 to 3. The curriculum aims to teach children how to cook and how to apply the principles of healthy eating and nutrition. The department has also introduced a new food preparation and nutrition GCSE to provide pupils with practical cookery experience and teach them the underlying scientific concepts of nutrition and healthy eating.The Healthy Schools Rating Scheme celebrates the positive actions that schools are delivering in terms of healthy living, healthy eating and physical activity. This voluntary rating scheme is available for both primary and secondary schools.

Children: Neurodiversity

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to (a) record and (b) investigate and address complaints about school policies that are alleged to cause harm to children with (i) autism, (ii) ADHD and (iii) other mental health challenges.

David Johnston: The department expects complaints about schools to first be addressed and handled through individual complaint procedures. Where a complaint is escalated to the department, we will consider whether, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s powers of intervention under sections 496 and 497 of the Education Act 1996 are available to be used and whether a school has complied with statutory requirements in how it has considered a complaint.This can include complaints about policies that are alleged to cause harm to children with physical and mental health challenges. However, complaints are not recorded at this specific level of detail by the department. They may be classified under a broader subject term, such as safeguarding, child protection, medical conditions or Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), depending on the broader context of the complaint.   In March 2023, the department published an Improvement Plan to outline plans to establish a single national system that delivers for every child and young person with SEND and in Alternative Provision so that they enjoy their childhood, achieve good outcomes, and are well prepared for adulthood and employment.The department will give families greater confidence that their child will be able to fulfil their potential through improved mainstream provision in their local setting.For those children and young people with SEND who do require an Education, Health and Care plan and specialist provision, the department will ensure they get access to the support they need, and that parents do not face an adversarial system to secure this.

Schools: Discipline

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to monitor the number of children who (a) are neurodivergent and (b) have pre-existing mental health challenges and who are placed in isolation within schools.

Damian Hinds: The department does not collect data on the number of pupils who are placed in isolation within school, including those who are neurodivergent or have pre-existing mental health challenges.In July 2022, the department published the updated Behaviour in Schools guidance, which is the primary source of advice for schools on developing and implementing a behaviour policy. This guidance provides clarity and support to schools on removing pupils from the classroom, including advice that schools should collect, monitor and analyse data about this intervention so that they can make data-based decisions about any additional support individual pupils may require and to identify whether the school’s removal policy is having a disproportionate impact on pupils sharing particular characteristics.Any school behaviour policy must be lawful, proportionate and reasonable and comply with the school’s duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the Education and Inspections Act 2006. Account must be taken of a pupil’s age, any Special Educational Needs or Disability they may have, and any religious requirements affecting them.Schools have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to take such steps as is reasonable to avoid any substantial disadvantage to a disabled pupil caused by the school’s policies or practices.Within these legal parameters, it is then for individual schools to develop their own policies.

Children: Mental Health

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to help ensure that students who are (a) not in school and (b) not in school regularly have access to support from (i) their school, (ii) the local authority and (iii) a virtual head.

Damian Hinds: Regular attendance at school is vital for children’s education, wellbeing and long-term development. The department’s new attendance guidance makes clear that attendance is everyone’s business, and that the department expects schools, trusts and local authority services to work together to improve attendance by providing the right support to families. In particular, the guidance aims to improve the consistency of support provided to pupils and families across the country. The department is looking to put the guidance on a statutory footing as soon as parliamentary time allows.As the guidance sets out, schools are expected to develop and maintain a whole school culture which promotes the benefits of excellent attendance. Schools are expected to use attendance data to identify pupils who need additional support, appoint a senior leader with responsibility for attendance, build strong relationships with families, and put in place support to remove any barriers to attendance that have been identified.Local authorities are also expected to hold termly conversations with all schools in their area to discuss pupils or groups of pupils who may need additional support to attend school. Where the reasons for absence are complex this may involve referrals to wider services, such as for pupils with long term medical conditions or Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Schools and local authorities are also required to agree a joint attendance improvement plan for every severely absent pupil, which is those who miss 50% or more of their education.Local authorities are also expected to monitor and improve the attendance of children with a social worker through their virtual school head. Virtual schools should regularly monitor attendance for children with a social worker, set aspirational attendance targets for them, work across children’s social care services to ensure that all social workers understand the importance of attendance and ensure that this is reflected in child protection plans.Alongside the clearer and stronger expectations about support that are set out in guidance, the department also has:A team of expert attendance advisers working with every local authority in the country to ensure that they are meeting all the key expectations.A new £15 million investment to expand attendance mentors to provide direct one to one support for individual pupils and their families.A programme of 32 school attendance hubs sharing effective practice with around 2000 schools.A daily attendance data project which aims to give schools, trusts and local authorities access to live data to enable them to identify need early and intervene.

Schools: Discipline

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to measure the potential impact of school (a) disciplinary processes and (b) culture on children (i) with autism and (ii) who are neurodivergent.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of disproportionately harsh disciplinary measures in schools on children with (a) autism, (b) ADHD and (c) mental health challenges.

Damian Hinds: The department does not collect data on the impact of behaviour policies on pupils, including those who have autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), mental health needs or who are neurodivergent.In July 2022, the department published updated guidance on Behaviour in Schools which is the primary source of help and support for schools on developing and implementing a behaviour policy that can create a school culture with high expectations of behaviour.Any school behaviour policy must be lawful, proportionate and reasonable and comply with the school’s duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the Education and Inspections Act 2006. Account must be taken of a pupil’s age, any Special Educational Needs or Disability they may have, and any religious requirements affecting them.Schools have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to take such steps as is reasonable to avoid any substantial disadvantage to a disabled pupil caused by the school’s policies or practices.Within these legal parameters, it is then for individual schools to develop their own policies.

Veterans: Teachers

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 4 of the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan: 2022‑2024, published in January 2022, how many veterans have joined the teaching profession since the publication of that plan.

Damian Hinds: The department supports Veterans into teaching in primary, secondary, and further education through its broad support services and bursaries. Since the publication of its commitments in the Veterans Strategy Action Plan 2022-2024, the department has tailored support and communications for the Veteran community including dedicated teacher training advisers, webpages, case study blogs on the Get Into Teaching website and information in Civvy Street publications. More information is available at the following weblinks:https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/funding-and-support/if-youre-a-veteran.https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/blog/from-the-army-to-teacher-training.https://civvystreetmagazine.co.uk/2023/05/bring-your-unique-perspective-to-the-classroom-get-into-teaching-2/. Also available are bespoke webinars, and attendance at regional employer fairs with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) and British Forces Resettlement Service (BFRS) and more information about these can be found by visiting the following weblinks:https://www.ctp.org.uk/job-finding/directory/get-into-teaching.https://www.bfrss.org.uk/profiles/companies/986419/. Whilst the department collects data to assess the impact of our commitments, it does not have reportable data on the number of veterans applying to initial teacher training. The department is currently exploring what opportunities it has to improve Veteran data capture as it remains committed to promoting opportunities for service leavers and supporting their journey into teaching.

Academies: Local Government

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of local authority powers to intervene in multi-academy trusts.

Damian Hinds: Academy trusts are directly accountable to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, through their funding agreements. The Secretary of State has a range of powers to intervene in trusts where they are not meeting their legal obligations, as well as powers to intervene in individual academies that are failing to meet the required standards. Where local authorities have concerns about the conduct of academy trusts they should raise these with the department as the body responsible for ensuring that trusts are complying with their funding agreements. The department’s ‘Schools causing concern’ guidance provides further information on the Secretary of State intervention powers, and is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/659d064e614fa20014f3aa63/Schools_causing_concern_guidance.pdf.

South Bank Multi Academy Trust: Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will request Ofsted to undertake an investigation into (a) the adequacy of (i) disciplinary and (ii) other policies at South Bank Multi Academy Trust and (b) the potential impact of those policies on school attendance rates.

Damian Hinds: Ofsted plays a vital role by providing independent judgement on the educational performance of each school within a trust through its school inspection programme. The department, acting through the Regional Directors, will act wherever an academy is judged ‘Inadequate’ by Ofsted. As part of school level inspections, inspectors consider how leaders and other staff create a safe, calm, orderly and positive environment in the school and the impact this has on the behaviour and attitudes of pupils. Inspectors will also expect schools to do all they reasonably can to achieve the highest possible attendance.Of the six academies in South Bank Multi-Academy Trust (MAT), five have been rated Good or Outstanding since the autumn term of 2022. Under current leadership, South Bank MAT saw success in their sponsorship of the former Ofsted ‘Inadequate’ School, York High School, which was rated ‘Good’ in all categories. For York High School, the published report states “Expectations are clear. Pupils know the standards for behaviour and attitudes when they arrive at school in Year 7. Inspectors visited classroom where positive attitudes to learning were common. Staff and pupils enjoy the calm atmosphere in lessons. In the few instances where low-level disruption does occur, staff use the school’s approach to positive behaviour effectively”. Five months ago, Carr Junior School was also inspected and the published Ofsted report states that “Behaviour around school is calm and purposeful… the school have established a positive culture of behaviour”.The appropriate use of suspensions and exclusions is an element of South Bank MAT’s approach to improving behaviour, and it remains a key focus for the trust to examine and review attendance patterns. The Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Team will continue to work closely with South Bank MAT, as they do with all of their academy trusts, to understand the impact.School attendance is a top priority for the government. The evidence is clear that being in school is vitally important for children’s attainment, mental wellbeing, safety and long-term development. Attendance is everyone’s business. The department has set out stronger expectations of the system to work together to support those at risk of being persistently absent.The Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Team are in regular contact with South Bank MAT, and the Regional Director for Yorkshire and the Humber, Alison Wilson, visited South Bank MAT on 21 September 2023. Currently the Regional Director, is satisfied with the performance of the academies within South Bank MAT, and content that there is a culture of improvement to drive up standards and engagement of pupils. The Regional Director is also satisfied that trust policies (including the trust’s behaviour policy) are up-to-date and compliant with departmental guidance. As such, Ofsted will not be commissioned to further investigate South Bank MAT.The department understands that accountability of MATs, including attendance, behaviour and support for pupils with special educational needs is a key concern within the City of York. All schools, including academies, are under a duty to co-operate with the local authority to improve children’s wellbeing. The department expects local authorities and academies to work collaboratively together in relation to the wellbeing of children and particularly children who are disadvantaged, vulnerable or at risk.

Schools: Legionnaires' Disease

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that an outbreak of legionella in a school is followed by an assessment of the adequacy of the steps taken (a) before and (b) after the outbreak.

Damian Hinds: The department takes the health and wellbeing of both pupils and staff very seriously. Schools need to be safe, well-maintained, and compliant with all relevant regulations. This is the responsibility of those running our schools, which includes local authorities, academy trusts and voluntary aided school bodies.Guidance on legionella, and the relevant duties of an employer, or a person in control of a premises, is available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety. The department works closely with other government departments to ensure that all guidance reflects the latest best practice.The relevant duties of an employer, or a person in control of a premises, are further outlined on Health and Safety Executive’s website, and can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/legionnaires/what-you-must-do.htm.There is no requirement for the department to be informed of each individual case of legionella discovery in schools, or of any subsequent action.

Education: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of schemes developed by schools and local authorities to help children who are not in education return to educational settings.

Damian Hinds: Local authorities have a duty under Section 436A of the Education Act 1996 to make arrangements to identify children not registered at school and not receiving suitable education. They have powers to make enquiries when they have reason to believe that a child is not receiving education. The department has issued statutory guidance for local authorities on ‘Children missing education’ and those receiving Elective Home Education to support them in meeting their duties.Local authorities also have a responsibility under Section 19 to make arrangements for the provision of suitable education for children who need it. The department has issued statutory guidance on alternative provision, which includes information on the reintegration of pupils into mainstream education.The department wants local authorities to be supported in ensuring that all children are receiving a suitable education and continues to take steps to promote best practice.On 26 October 2023, the government opened a public consultation to gather views on proposed changes to the non-statutory elective home education guidance to local authorities and parents, with the aim of emphasising responsibilities and improving practices and relationships. This consultation is open for contributions until 18 January 2024.The government also ran a call for evidence on improving support for children missing education from 18 May to 20 July 2023. Evidence will be used to inform future policy to ensure all children, especially the most vulnerable in our society, are safe and have access to an excellent education. The government will issue a response in due course.

All Saints Roman Catholic School York and Tang Hall Primary School: Repairs and Maintenance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make funding available to help (a) Tang Hall Community School and (b) All Saints Roman Catholic School commence building upgrades.

Damian Hinds: The department has already included Tang Hall Community School and All Saints Roman Catholic School in the School Rebuilding Programme. Funding will be made available for both schools.Tang Hall Community School is in the delivery phase and procurement is underway.The department wrote to All Saints Roman Catholic School and the responsible body, Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust, in July 2023 to confirm it is expected to enter delivery from April 2025.

Schools: Attendance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of children not attending school on safeguarding.

Damian Hinds: The department is clear that regular school attendance is important for children’s educational progress, for their wellbeing, their safeguarding and for their wider development.Local authorities have duties to ensure all children in their area are receiving a suitable education and are safe. They have powers to make enquiries with parents as to whether a suitable education appears to be being provided.​Local authorities should be ready to use safeguarding powers appropriately and when warranted. Local authorities also have a duty to make arrangements to identify children missing education (not in school or receiving suitable education).​The government ran a call for evidence on improving support for children missing education from 18 May to 20 July 2023. Evidence will be used to inform future policy to ensure all children, especially the most vulnerable in our society, are safe and have access to an excellent education. The government will issue a response in due course. ​

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many government procurement cards were held by people to make purchases against her Department’s budget as of (a) 31 March 2023 and (b) 31 December 2023.

Graham Stuart: The number of government procurement cards held by people to make purchases against the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) budget is as follows: (a) As of 31 March 2023 – At this time, the Department was reporting as the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and therefore does not hold any records for this date. (b) As of 31 December 2023 – The majority of cards remain registered on the BEIS account and have not yet transitioned to DESNZ. The Department is therefore unable to provide a total number.

Fuels: Prices

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to help reduce the price of fuel at petrol stations.

Amanda Solloway: Road fuel prices are down for the second consecutive month. Petrol prices are now at a level not seen since early October 2021 following our work to bring transparency to the market. Today, we have launched a consultation which will require petrol stations to report real-time prices. This will mean drivers can compare prices, get the best deal, and prices will fall through greater competition.

Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage

Andy Carter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to support the development of carbon capture, utilisation and storage technology.

Andrew Bowie: We are clear that CCUS is a priority for this Government, and we are progressing at pace.  In March 2023 we announced up to £20 billion funding for early deployment of CCUS across all sectors, and in December we outlined how we will get to a competitive carbon capture market by 2035.

Offshore Industry

David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of potential future trends in the level of demand for oil and gas.

Graham Stuart: As set out in our Net Zero Strategy demand pathway, in 2035, demand for oil and gas may be just over half of 2022 levels. Whilst our domestic production is expected to decline by 7% year-on-year, new licensing will limit our import dependency to around 60% instead of 70% by 2035. By 2050, oil use will concentrate in aviation. Gas will be used with CCUS abatement, generating cleaner electricity and hydrogen.

Nuclear Power: South Korea

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Government has made an assessment of potential opportunities for collaboration with the Republic of Korea on nuclear energy projects in the UK.

Andrew Bowie: We recognise the opportunities to cooperate with South Korea on civil nuclear, including on fuel supply chains; safety; security; non-proliferation; decommissioning; and the development of new reactors, in both countries. This is underpinned by agreements signed between us in November 2023.

Great British Insulation Scheme

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to encourage companies to offer under floor insulation installation under the Great British Insulation Scheme.

Amanda Solloway: The Government sets the overall target and scheme rules, including which measures are eligible for the delivery of the Great British Insulation Scheme but does not direct which insulation measures are installed; that is left to the obligated energy suppliers and their installers to determine.

Carbon Emissions

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she is taking steps to provide financial support for the development of new carbon-reduction technologies (a) nationally and (b) in Yorkshire.

Andrew Bowie: The Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) supports industrial sites located in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The IETF is a technology-neutral fund which provides funding for applicants to reduce emissions by bringing down the costs and risks associated with investing in decarbonisation and energy efficiency technologies. The IETF has funded several projects within Yorkshire. Ardagh Glass Limited received a grant offer of £1.7m towards their Efficient Furnace Project, contributing to the facility’s decarbonisation plans. More information on successful IETF applications can be found here. Phase 3 of the IETF will open for applicants in January 2024.

Housing: Insulation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate her Department has made of the number of homes that will receive insulation through a scheme funded from the public purse in the next (a) five and (b) 10 years.

Amanda Solloway: Around half of homes in England have reached our aspiration of having an Energy Performance Certificate with a rating of C – up from just 14% in 2010. Government schemes have delivered insulation and other energy efficiency measures to over 400,000 homes over the past 3 years. In addition to this, our recent announcement of an additional £6bn support from 2025-2028 will support the installation of insulation and other energy efficient measures for another half a million homes. Schemes beyond 2028 are still to be determined.

Nautral Gas: Imports

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much and what proportion of the UK's energy needs are met by gas imports; and what is the source of those imports (a) by volume and (b) as a proportion of the total.

Graham Stuart: Gas imports were equivalent to 18 per cent of total gross energy supply (production + imports), and 56 per cent of total gross gas supply in the last five years (2018-2022) (DUKES 1.1). Gas imports by origin are published in Energy Trends 4.4.

Energy: Meters

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that prepayment meters are not involuntarily installed in people's homes.

Amanda Solloway: Prepayment meters can continue to play a role in the market, however it is important that the rules around their use are sufficient to protect consumers and are properly enforced. Involuntary installations should only ever be a last resort for managing customer debts. Ofgem implemented new rules regarding the involuntary installation of prepayment meters on 8th November and suppliers must refrain from all involuntary installations for high-risk customers. The Government will continue to work closely with Ofgem and industry to see that the new rules lead to positive changes for consumers and won't hesitate to intervene again if necessary.

Housing: Double Glazing

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a Government grant for the replacement of old double glazing windows.

Amanda Solloway: Our ‘Help to Heat’ schemes ensure homes will be warmer and cheaper to heat. We are continuing to deliver energy efficiency improvements to a significant number of homes, helping households to save money on energy bills. Double glazed windows are currently eligible to be installed under the Home Upgrade Grant, Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Energy Company Obligation schemes, and many households have already benefited from this measure.We are considering which measures will be eligible under the future schemes announced in December 2023.

Nuclear Fusion

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to support the development of nuclear fusion technology.

Andrew Bowie: In October 2023, I announced our updated Fusion Strategy, with a renewed focus on supporting the whole UK fusion sector. This includes an additional £650m through to 2027 for Fusion Futures – a suite of new R&D programmes to support the sector and strengthen international collaboration. This builds on over £700m we committed from 2021 to 2025 to the UKAEA. At the site of the former coal-fired power plant at West Burton in Nottinghamshire, we will build, by the 2040s, STEP, a prototype fusion power plant capable of delivering energy to the UK grid – a globally unique programme.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to increase the amount of energy produced by offshore wind.

Andrew Bowie: In November 2023, the Government published core parameters for the sixth Contracts for Difference Allocation Round (AR6), the Government’s flagship renewable energy scheme. The Administrative Strike Price for offshore wind projects in AR6 has increased 66% since the previous CfD round and by 52% for floating offshore wind projects. This will encourage greater investment into UK offshore wind. In the Autumn Statement, the Government announced the £960 million Green Industries Growth Accelerator to support clean energy manufacturing capacity, including for offshore wind. Additionally, the Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme will provide up to £160m to kickstart investment into port infrastructure.

Energy: Prices

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make it her policy to introduce an emergency energy tariff.

Amanda Solloway: The Government recognises the challenges posed by the cost-of-living pressures, including energy bill costs, and is already providing extensive financial support. This includes a package of support worth £104 billion, or £3,700 per household on average, between 2022-2025. The Government is continuing to support those most in need, with millions of vulnerable households receiving up to £900 in cost-of-living payments. This is in addition to established financial support for vulnerable households through the Winter Fuel Payment, which delivered £250 - £600, and the £150 Warm Homes Discount. We are continuing to monitor the situation and keeping options under review.